Pacha spacetime
by DZR
Summary: Druitt refuses to give up on Ashley. Set in season 2 some time after end of nights. Influenced by the webisodes.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It was far past the middle of the night, the darkest part an hour or two before dawn as Doctor Helen Magnus walked through the darkened corridors of her Sanctuary toward her study, a pile of papers in her arms, study notes from her latest 'acquisition'. Work, it was all she could do at the moment. She couldn't stop or take time off, not that she normally would have done anyway. Before though, there had been more to her life, now, nothing. It had been months since Ashley's death and hiding herself in the Sanctuary work was finally taking its toll. Helen rubbed her eyes as she walked into her study. If she hadn't been so tired she would have noticed immediately the man sitting in her chair at her desk. Waiting for her.

Magnus hesitated for a second as she saw him. John Druitt stood, ever the gentleman, as she entered the study.

"What are you doing here John?" she asked, not in the mood for a battle of wits.

"You look tired," he pointed out.

"You've been gone a long time," stated Magnus, not looking at him as she walked over to her desk and put down her papers. The framed photograph on her desk, of her and Ashley, had been moved slightly from where she had left it.

"No rest for the wicked," he smiled. Magnus gave him a thoroughly unimpressed look. "Sorry, couldn't resist."

They swapped sides of the desk, enacting a piece of their eternal dance around each other. John Druitt and Helen Magnus each stood watching the other.

"I've been thinking," began John, "About Ashley."

"She's gone John. You need to accept that," snapped Helen, shaking her head in disgust.

"Or what?" he shot back with a raised voice. "It will drive me mad?"

They glared at each other.

"What the bloody hell do you want, John?" demanded Magnus, her patience fast running out.

"I want our daughter back, I want you to hear me out and if you don't like what I have to say I'll be on my merry way."

Helen sat down feeling weary. John hesitated then sat down opposite her.

"I've been going over it again and again. I think I know what happened when Ashley teleported away from you."

He looked at Helen to make sure she was paying attention. Magnus said nothing and he continued.

"Teleporting is instinctive. You don't think you just jump. When you shot me, in London, I teleported away from the bullet, away from death, away from you, as fast as I could. And then," he cleared his throat sounding a little embarrassed. Magnus almost raised an eyebrow, enjoying his discomfort. "The second time, when you gave me the contaminated blood and I teleported…"

"_Gave_ you the blood?" Magnus interrupted. "That's not quite how I remember it. You kidnapped Ashley and locked her in with one of the most dangerous creatures we have ever come across." She looked at him her eyes blazing. "Apart from you, of course."

"Please hear me out," Druitt asked civilly.

Magnus sighed and let go of her anger. What was the point in being angry at him. Ashley was gone and she couldn't bring herself to care about much anymore. Druitt observed her fluctuating mood and continued.

"I was disorientated and didn't know where I was going or what I was doing. I instinctively jumped to a safe place."

"Which was where exactly?"

"I'm not going to tell you, Helen," John laughed. "You'll more than likely turn up sometime and kill me in my sleep."

"Your point, John?" asked Magnus, not denying it.

"My point is. I think there may be a chance Ashley teleported away from the EM field instinctively. She would have known she faced certain death if she had gone through it. I think, I hope, she jumped away from the field as far and as hard as she could whether she knew what she was doing or not. Somewhere safe, somewhere without an electromagnetic field."

Druitt sat back and waited for Magnus' reaction. Magnus looked at the photograph on her desk and then back to John. There was a real flicker of hope in his eyes. If there was a chance, no matter how slight, of Ashley being alive she would take it. Even from a madman.

"What are you saying? Where could she have gone? We've searched every inch of this building, she's not here."

"Ashley was trapped within the electromagnetic field. She was unable to teleport to a safe _place_." Druitt leaned forward and looked directly into Magnus' eyes. "I think Ashley teleported to a safe _time_."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Time travel?" said Will incredulously. "Time travel?"

Druitt's eyes narrowed as he looked at Will. The fool was bleating like a broken record, he thought to himself. How did Helen put up with these people?

It was now morning by normal standards and Magnus had assembled her team in the study to tell them of her intentions. She and Druitt had spent the early hours of the morning discussing endless possibilities of where and when Ashley could be.

"Magnus you're not seriously going to consider this," pleaded Will. "It's just not possible."

"I simply wish to explore all possibilities Will. Time travel has been neither proven nor disproved."

Henry looked worried and Bigfoot said nothing. "This is just too far out there," said Will.

"As far back as the Incan people there was a belief that space and time were a single concept. They called it Pacha. Nowadays we can even pinpoint a moment in space-time with Cartesian coordinates. Putting it into practice will be however, a tad more complicated than it sounds. Now, stop telling me why this is impossible and tell me how it _is_ possible," said Magnus to her team. Henry, Will, Bigfoot and Druitt looked back at her. None of them had an answer.

Henry's heart ached as he saw how desperately Magnus wanted their help. He knew better than the others how much Ashley meant to Magnus. "Solar flares," said Henry, to the room in general.

"What?" asked Will.

"Solar flares. They can interfere with the electronics, mess up satellite links and cause interference in our computer systems."

"What does that have to do with anything?" asked Will.

"It takes 8 minutes for the light from the Sun to reach the Earth. That's 8 minutes of not knowing what's happened. It could have blown up 5 minutes ago and we wouldn't know a thing was wrong for another 3 minutes," said Henry. "You can only see what was there in the past. That's a kind of time travel isn't it? Well, the only one I've ever had any experience with." Magnus smiled a thank you at Henry. At least he was trying.

"Damn solar flares," he muttered to himself, thinking of the recent problems they had caused him and the seemingly endless recalibrations of the EM field.

Henry's valiant effort made Will feel slightly ashamed of himself. Yes, it was madness but didn't they deal with that every day? Why should today be any different? He got up and started pacing the room. Magnus recognized this as one of his thinking methods.

"Since joining the Sanctuary I've seen things I never imagined could be possible." He shook his head as though not quite able to believe what he was about to say. "Why shouldn't time travel be one of those things? For whatever its worth, and I honestly can't see how we're going to get anywhere with this, I'm in."

Magnus gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you Will."

"How do we go about even beginning to figure this out?" asked Henry.

"You must have something to start with," Will said hopefully to Magnus.

"We think we have the where that Ashley jumped to, we just need the when. That narrows it down somewhat."

"Still, all of time is kind of big don't you think?" asked Will.

Druitt glared at him. "We think it will be a time when the Sanctuary building exists. But at a time when the EM field does not. Narrow enough for you?"

Will looked a bit unsettled at Druitt's apparent bad mood.

Bigfoot growled, "She's in the future."

"What makes you so sure?" asked Druitt, breaking his gaze from Will.

"If she was in the past she'd have left a message for us. Or have gone to find Magnus in the past 158 years."

Henry looked surprised, "That actually makes a kind of sense. She'd have left a freaking great big message carved into the Sanctuary wall somewhere telling us to pull our fingers out."

Not realizing he was about to make Druitt's mood worse, Will said, "I guess we should start with a physicist. That is if we can find one crazy enough to help. But not too crazy that he's just, you know."

"Crazy?" offered Henry.

Magnus looked over to Druitt.

"No," said Druitt, correctly guessing what she was thinking. "No, he cannot be trusted."

"Who?" asked Henry.

"Tesla," said Druitt through gritted teeth.

"The vampire dude bent on world domination?" asked Henry. "At least he checks the boxes in the crazy category."

"And the physicist category," said Will.

"Do you think he'll agree to help?" asked Bigfoot.

"He will if Magnus asks him. Right?" said Will.

Magnus smiled warmly. It was like a spark had been ignited in her and indeed all of her team. She seemed more alive than she had been for a long time. "Gentlemen. It appears as though we have the beginnings of a plan."

Tesla.

Druitt shut his eyes as though the name gave him pain. "Dammit."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_**6 months earlier. Sort of.**_

Ashley Magnus regained consciousness atop of a pile of rubble. She couldn't move, she didn't want to move. Her body wouldn't respond to her poor attempts to command it. She opened one eye and looked up, and up, into the blue sky. Without moving her head she could see she was still in the main laboratory of the Sanctuary. She was looking up though the collapsed roof at creeping vines growing up the walls and out through the hole in the roof.

That was weird, she thought to herself. There weren't ever plants there before.

Something warm snuffled at her leg. She heard it more than felt it which wasn't a good sign. Ashley tilted her head to try and see what was moving around halting when pain exploded in her skull and neck so badly she was temporarily blinded by it.

Just breathe, she told herself. Take it slowly.

She opened her eyes again, her head now at such an angle she could see over to her right. A most definitely dead body lay at the bottom of the pile of rubble and judging from the clothing that remained intact, it was the super abnormal she had teleported with. Two enormous, ravenous wolves were feasting on it.

Oh, crap.

Wolves, super abnormal, Sanctuary, …Mom? The events came flooding back.

Still paralyzed, she began to panic. Ashley's breathing got faster and more agitated as pain crushed her every attempt to move. A tear trickled down her face and she gritted her teeth as she tried not to sob aloud.

They are going to eat me and I can't bloody move, she swore to herself.

From the corner of her eye Ashley watched as the wolves snapped their heads up from their meal and looked over to the side of the room she couldn't see. A somehow familiar unsettling growling noise came from the unseen threat and echoed around the room. The wolves raised their hackles in response. They bared their teeth and crouched down preparing to defend their dinner from the unseen enemy.

I wonder how much worse this can get, Ashley asked herself.

The wolves took initiative and pounced out of Ashley's line of sight. There was a blood curdling yelping and snarling followed by a terrible wet snapping noise. Ashley's eyes were now firmly shut as she thought frantically.

Why can't I move? What happened to my powers? Why can't I move?

There was a dreadful silence in the room. Then, what sounded like footsteps climbing over the rubble.

Ashley opened her eyes and looked up into the malevolent stare of a fully turned vampire, his face dripping with blood.

Help! Her soul screamed at the horror of facing what she had once been. Her body was unable to recoil from the nightmare grinning maliciously down at her, so she did the next best thing. Her mind shut down into dark, unconscious thought. Although, not before she heard a voice answer her request in a polite English accent.

Allow me.

A voice which came from inside her head.

Ashley regained consciousness for the second time that day, this time curled up in a ball on the rooftop of the Sanctuary tower. The sky was no longer blue but turning a dusky pink as the sun began to set. She sat up slowly, taking in her surroundings and situation.

The first thing she noticed was that she was alone. Next, the door to the stairwell had been bolted shut from the outside meaning the only exit strategy was to climb down the tower walls.

She stood and looked over the parapet. There were no lights shining from the new or old city. In fact there was no new city, the buildings were ruined. The once tall towers had fallen into rubble and ruin lying on the land over the river. Mind you, the old city didn't look much better.

A glimpse of red caught Ashley's eye, she looked down at her hands. They were red and wet. She stared at them in bemusement, any initial clarity of mind disappeared in a puff of smoke.

What the hell was going on?

She frantically wiped her hands on her clothes and tried to back away from them until she reached the wall but they remained red.

There was only one thought she could focus on. She had seen red hands before somewhere.

Ashley slid down the wall of the parapet and sat with her back in the corner, her arms wrapped around herself in a hug.

Red hands.

Her father.

Her right hand shook uncontrollably as she held it out in front of her, stained dark with blood. It _was_ blood.

She rocked back and forth as tears poured down her face and her body trembled with despair.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Will sat at the desk in the library, the pile of books beside him grew taller as Bigfoot pulled more from the shelves. He held his head in his hands and sighed.

"This is impossible you know, we're not going to be able to do it. There _are_ limits and this is one of them. I know no one wants to be the one to say it but I think Druitt's given Magnus false hope."

Bigfoot ignored him.

"Given all of us false hope," said Will quietly, looked over at him.

"Why would he do that?" growled Bigfoot.

"I don't know, to get in Magnus's good books."

"Maybe he believes it is a possibility."

"The man is insane! Has that completely slipped everyone's minds?"

"Druitt has teleported through time before."

"So he says," muttered Will, his head back in his hands.

Henry walked into the room, portable computer in hand.

"I just got a call from Magnus. They've found Tesla and they'll be back in 24 hours."

"24 hours. Why so long?" asked Will.

"They've got some equipment to bring with them. Plus I got the feeling Magnus thinks it'll be safer if Druitt doesn't teleport Tesla anywhere."

"Nice shirt," growled Bigfoot.

"Thanks dude. It's my physics t-shirt. You know, to help get me into the mindset."

"I don't think _'Gravity. It's the law.'_ is going to be a massive help do you?" Will smirked.

"You never know," Henry replied quite seriously. He sat down opposite Will and put down his computer. "I've done a complete systems analysis for the entire Sanctuary. Everything is currently in perfect working order. Magnus sent a list of equipment she wants us to get, prep, _and_ invent by the looks of it. Some of it will have to wait until Tesla gets here. I can't even understand half of what he says he needs. Our main priority is rigging up a conductor to the lightning rods on the roof and making an insulated channel down to the main lab. Next we're going to need backup, backup generators, liquid helium, liquid nitrogen, niobium-titanium, niobium-tin, magnesium-diboride, iron, copper, and the list goes on. Does anyone know anything about geothermal energy?"

Will and Bigfoot stared at him, openmouthed at the list he had just rattled off.

"It's on the list guys. I think we're going to need a lot of power." Henry looked over at the pile of books Will and Bigfoot were accumulating. "What are you guys researching?" he asked.

"Uh, time-travel," answered Will. "It seems to be referenced mostly in the literature section."

Bigfoot grunted, picked up some books from the pile on the desk and began placing them back on the shelves.

"OK," said Henry. "Magnus asked if you and the Big guy would talk to the residents. Explain what's going on and that there's a slight possibility the Sanctuary may be, probably to definitely, obliterated in the near future. Organise some temporary accommodation for them, you know."

"Sure, we can do that," said Will, happy to have a job he knew was attainable.

_**6 hours previously**_

Druitt and Magnus teleported into the Chihuahuan Mexican desert. They materialised outside the security gates of an industrial compound where a few buildings stood in the centre of miles of empty desert leading out to the perimeter fence. There was no sign of any human activity.

"What is this place?" asked Magnus.

"The last I heard from the smarmy git, he said there was rumour of a base in the desert the Cabal were using."

"A rumour obtained by torture no doubt." Druitt didn't dignify that observation with a response so Magnus continued. "We need to find out if he's been here. If he hasn't we may be in the middle of a Cabal base."

"And if he has, it's more than likely the place is full of vampires. Oh come on Helen, you know it's his favourite hobby. Besides, wouldn't you like to land in the middle of a Cabal base? Teach them a lesson," Druitt taunted. "Or for that matter, land in the middle of a nest of vampires and teach _them_ a lesson."

Magnus ignored him and pressed the buzzer on the intercom of the gate.

"Who is it?"

"Dr. Magnus to see Mr. Tesla."

The gates buzzed and opened. Magnus walked through without looking back at Druitt. He followed her with a scowl.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The moon had replaced the sun when Ashley felt calm enough to start again. She was Ashley Magnus damnit, she could figure this out.

Vampires. Move. I can move my body. It doesn't hurt anymore. How did I get here? Why is there blood on my hands? Why can't I remember how I got to the roof? What happened to the city? Where the freaking hell is my Mom? There were no answers.

Ashley tested the door leading into the tower. The metal security door which should only be released for a complete lockdown, was solid and the bolts wouldn't budge. She peered over the edge of the tower.

I can't stay up here, she said to herself.

'Teleport,' whispered a voice.

Ashley's head whipped up and she looked around the rooftop. There was no one there. After convincing herself she was truly alone on the top of the Sanctuary she turned back to the edge of the tower to find a route down.

Must have been the wind, she thought. Then she murmured to herself, 'I don't even know how to teleport.'

Ten feet below the parapet edge were the top of the climbing plants which unchecked, had grown around and through the building as fast as they could to get to the sun. If she could just reach them then she could use the vines to climb down. Ashley climbed onto the parapet and started lowering herself carefully down the wall. When her fingertips were all that remained on the top of the wall, Ashley realized this wasn't going to work. She dangled from the edge unable to find any footing on the old stone.

"Oh, crap."

She hung there for a few seconds, unable to climb up or down. Then let go and dropped, trying to grab hold of the vines. The tops of the vines were new growth, young and flimsy and tore away easily from the wall. She fell out away from the tower frantically trying to reach the vines, and failed. Ashley shut her eyes tightly and waited for the inevitable. It didn't come. Instead a searing pain burst through her head and she could swear she felt her body disintegrate. It hurt.

She opened her eyes to find herself lying on the ground at the base of the tower.

"Shit," she said, eloquently. "I just teleported." And promptly threw up.

She sat stunned and shaking, unable to comprehend anything apart from the fact she had escaped death. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears like a drumbeat and her head throbbed with pain. Beneath the sound of drums there was a slow, gleeful chuckle.

A dull headache accompanied Ashley as she made her way over one of the fallen walls into the main building. With trepidation she came to what was once the main lab of the old city Sanctuary. Silver moonlight fell though the open roof, illuminating the ground and turned everything it touched into an unreal world.

This looks like a dream, thought Ashley. A very bad dream.

She could remember waking in the lab, the debris and the plants. One dead super abnormal, check. Two dead wolves, check. She slowly walked around the mound of rubble she had woken up on earlier that day dreading what was on the other side. There were three bodies, Vampire bodies. She stared at them in horror. Someone, or rather, _something_ had spared them nothing. No mercy had been granted in their final fight. Their heads had been separated from their torsos.

I guess that's how you kill a vampire.

Turning away in disgust, she stepped into a small pool of liquid. Hopping out of it quickly she took a closer look. It was hard to see what colour it was supposed to be in the pale light. It didn't look like blood and there was enough of that scattered around the room to compare it to. This was getting creepier, if possible, by the second. She backed away not wanting to see any more and headed for the corridor leading to the elevator and stairwell.

Ashley wandered through what once had been her home. It was heartbreaking. The rooms were a mess. They had all been long deserted, looted, vandalized and gutted. There were even walls missing from some of them. The building hadn't been used as a sanctuary for a long time and the vampires had been using it as a base for months at least.

After many dead ends, blocked passageways, tight squeezes through awkward obstacles and even some booby traps, Ashley finally arrived at her destination. Magnus' study.

Ashley sat in a chair behind her mothers reclaimed desk, her feet up on the tabletop. It had been jammed in a corridor and used as a barricade at some point but had withstood all that had been thrown at it. Solid English oak was as resilient as they said after all. Hundreds of questions ran through her mind.

What the hell am I going to do? There's no way they'd just leave me here. What would Mom do?

She sat at her mother's desk hoping for inspiration.

Secure the building. Find or make weapons. Search the Sanctuary for clues as to what went on here. Search the city for… what? Survivors? Find my Mom. Get ready. Get ready for what? ... And get my feet off the desk!

She jumped up and went to work.

It was daylight outside once again, when Ashley returned to the study. The building was almost secure. There had been no sight of any other vampires, humans, animals or abnormals in the Sanctuary building or grounds. It had taken her a while to barricade the main entrance to the building as the original doors had been pulled off their hinges. One lay outside in what was once the lawn and the other was buried under collapsed masonry. The only way into the building now was the pool which she hadn't managed to get to. The stairwell down to it had been blocked with scrap metal.

She collapsed into the chair behind the desk, ignoring for now the mess in the room and the non existent windows. It would take a lot of work to make the study habitable. Exhausted, she fell asleep.

As she slept, she dreamt. Images flashed into her mind. Of herself in the lab. The sky was blue. There were bodies strewn across the floor. She was kneeling on the floor retching, screaming in agony. There was black liquid dripping out of her nose, her mouth, her ears, her eyes. It was as though it was being forced from every cell in her body. Source blood. And then, it was over. It was finally all out of her system, her body, her being. Breathing deeply she stood up. She cricked her neck to the side as though stretching the muscles. As she straightened upright she slowly smiled. A smile which did not belong to Ashley Magnus.

Murmuring in her sleep, Ashley decided she didn't like that dream so she left it and wandered off to dream of finding a way back home instead.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Magnus and Druitt walked along the dusty dirt track within the fenced compound, the sun beating down on them.

"Try not to antagonize him," said Magnus.

"_He_ is the antagonist," returned Druitt sharply, not looking forward to the meeting ahead.

To the casual observer they looked like a normal couple, albeit a couple who were walking further apart from one another than you'd expect. They were both on their guard, prepared for anything except perhaps what greeted them at the door to the main warehouse.

Nikola Tesla stepped out from the shade of the warehouse carefully closing the door behind him before they could see inside. He stood before them with a white lab coat over his usual formal suit and a sombrero. He opened his arms in greeting.

"What a pleasant surprise this is," said Tesla, a massive grin across his face. "Apart from the serial killer of course. I can assure you Helen, whatever you've heard from this maniac is untrue. I'm simply minding my own business out here in the desert. And anyway as you yourself can attest to, a little experimentation goes a long way."

"What are you talking about?" asked Magnus, mildly puzzled.

"Ah, nothing. So long as you understand that even vampires as charming as myself need a little privacy."

"Nikola, shut up," she interrupted before he could go off on another rambling speech. "I don't care about whatever it is you're up to."

"What on earth have you got on your head?" asked Druitt, unable to take his eyes off Tesla's hat.

"A sombrero, amigo. Every vampire in the desert should have one. The alternative isn't pleasant."

"So I could just knock your hat off and watch you scream?"

"I wouldn't advise it."

"Gentlemen, please!" Magnus stepped in between them. "I know you don't get on. Let me rephrase that. Hate each others guts, but will you both try and act like adults."

Magnus nudged Druitt. Taking a deep breath Druitt looked absolutely disgusted as he said.

"Nikola, old friend…"

Tesla's eyebrows nearly fell off the top off his head. Something serious was going on here.

"We need your help."

"Good lord, it must be bad if John is asking me for assistance. You'd better come in."

He led them away from the warehouse to a small lodge which appeared to have been outfitted as an office at one point. It now looked like Tesla was using it as a study of sorts. As they entered Tesla removed his lab coat and threw the sombrero onto a hat stand, clearly showing off.

"Drink?" he offered them, and opened a fridge filled with bags of blood.

"No thank you," said Magnus.

"Time was you used to like a bit of blood, John."

Fortunately for him, Tesla didn't see the murderous look that crossed Druitt's face as he poured himself a glass of wine from a bottle hidden behind the blood bags. He motioned for them to sit in a small area with a couple of sofas. Druitt chose to remain standing.

"Well, I am intrigued as to what could possibly make John Druitt deign to beg for my help," he started.

Magnus cut in quickly eager to curtail Tesla's favourite hobby, talking and winding up Druitt. She started at the deep end.

"We believe Ashley has teleported into the future. We need your help to get her back."

"In what way?"

"We don't really know yet."

"I see," he said mockingly. "Perhaps you'd like me to build you a time machine. Which, I must inform you, is beyond even _my_ considerable capabilities."

"This is a waste of time," Druitt growled.

"Nikola, John already has the ability to teleport through time. We need a way to control it, magnify it, so he can get to Ashley and back again."

The look in both their eyes wiped the smirk off his face. He sat back in surprise.

"You're actually being serious!" They sat there waiting for a sensible response, which could be a long time coming. "This reeks of madness. Did John come up with it?"

He stared at Magnus and Druitt. The oldest of friends, and enemies. Magnus could see the cogs in his brain whirring into action. He was seriously thinking about it.

"Space and time. A gateway and anchor, or a beacon. A gravity well." He was muttering to himself until he suddenly remembered his friends sitting in front of him. "I will help you, on one condition."

"What is it?"

"In return you must grant me a favour. Unspecified, unlimited."

Magnus sighed in relief. For a second she had thought he might have asked for a kiss, in front of Druitt.

"Agreed," she said quickly, then ignoring the second part of his request. "So long as it doesn't involve vampire armies or world domination. Or both."

"World domination?" He looked amused. "I like it. You should reconsider that last point. We would be a great team, Helen."

Druitt rolled his eyes in disgust.

"I wonder, John. What would you have done if I had refused your heartfelt plea for my expertise."

"Killed you," Druitt stated calmly.

"Fair enough. So, where do I sign up?" Tesla asked.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

A fluttering noise close by woke Ashley from her vivid dreams. Two pigeons had flown in the window and landed on the desk in front of her. Her rumbling stomach dictated that she caught one of them, and she snapped its neck without thinking twice. Breakfast.

Weapons lay on the desk, left there from her initial reconnaissance of the building. An old railing spike had been recruited as a spear and after some vigorous sharpening a small piece of scrap iron had been converted into a nasty looking serrated knife blade. Ashley tore leather upholstery from an old chair and made it into a pair of gauntlets, one of which would hide her knife. Not unlike an assassin.

'Mom would freak if she saw me deliberately doing this to her furniture,' she thought, as she went about making a cooking fire from what used to be original Victorian, Sanctuary furniture.

She'd also found a pile of clothes in one of the rooms. Rags mostly, used for starting fires, but among them had been what was once a knee length, black leather coat. It was now streaked grey and white with dirt and dust and ripped in many places. She put it on over the clothes the Cabal had issued her. At least she didn't look like she worked for the Cabal now. Not that there was anyone around to notice.

Her dreams played on her mind. Something had happened in the main lab. She _should_ return there and investigate, but, as always, when Ashley didn't want to do something she went off and did something else. So she decided to search the nearby city for signs of life. And more food.

* * *

Ashley walked out into the grounds. A long time unkempt, they had grown into wild grassland which, in the late afternoon sun, was a peaceful place where wildflowers grew happily in the breeze and insects buzzed around. Near the far south facing wall there was even a small grove of trees that hadn't been there before.

She removed the girder she had laid to hold the main gate in place and stepped out into the street. It was deserted. On her guard, she scouted up and down the battered streets, the walk becoming ever lonelier as she made her way through the old city.

Hours later, with dusk approaching, and now twirling her spear like a baton, she eventually came to the remains of the bridge which had once spanned the river between new and old city. It was the only piece of destruction which didn't look out of place, and she was surprisingly pleased to see it.

As she turned from the river to face the city, a quick movement caught her eye from the roof of one of the riverfront buildings. If it was an animal she would gladly eat it, if it were anything else, hopefully it would be able to communicate what had happened to the city to her.

She walked slowly off the bridge not letting it appear as thought she had spotted anything. Then as soon as she was in the cover of the buildings she began her hunt.

Ashley climbed to the top of what was once an apartment block and surveyed the area. She saw the flash of a coat and a man running away from her across the rooftops.

She broke into a run, jumping from rooftop to rooftop and along ruins and rubble as fast as she could. The man had the advantage, seemed to know where was safe to jump and was faster. She lost sight of him on the roof of a warehouse at the river dock.

Ashley stopped on the warehouse roof, catching her breath. A skylight was partially open in the centre of the roof. She peered inside into pitch black. Fearlessly she opened the skylight and climbed down a wooden ladder which ran from the rafters to the floor. She stepped away from the ladder and into darkness.

A fire started with a roar licking up the rungs of the ladder, encouraged with some kind of petrol, sealing her escape.

"Crap"

The oldest trick in the book and she had fallen for it. Bait.

Ashley stood in the centre of the warehouse, silhouetted against the firelight. She was surrounded by 30 odd vampires. Clutching her spear tightly she prepared for battle. 'Now would be a really good time to know how that teleportation thing works,' she thought to herself.

They all stared at her. Their dark, glassy, dead looking eyes gleamed in the firelight.

One vampire stepped forward. He was marginally better dressed than the others, with a filthy shirt and tie, which wasn't saying much. They were a scruffy bunch of losers judging from their appearance. This one must be the boss. The other vampires shuffled about nervously, they seemed a bit twitchy. He bared his teeth in warning as he stepped closer.

"Are you the maniac who lives in the old church?" He spat at her in a squeaky, high pitched voice.

"Hey! I am _not_ a maniac," she snapped. He had hit a raw nerve there. Any fear she may have felt was replaced by the burning urge to kick his ass for that suggestion.

The vamp boss scowled at her trying to hold his nerve. He was sweating now. Although that could have been down to the fire taking hold of the wooden building they were standing in.

"Did you decapitate three of my men?"

She said nothing and instead tried to look mean.

"You have scared all the game out of the old city. The abnormals heard about you. Food is getting scarcer since you arrived. Warning has spread of the new threat in the area. The wild creature. The beserker that ripped apart three vampires."

He screamed at her in fury. Spittle flying out of his mouth.

"Vampires are top of the food chain!"

Ashley wasn't quite sure what was going on, apart from the fact this guy was caught between being wary of her and furious with her at the same time. He also seemed a bit unhinged. Whatever the hell was going on, Ashley decided to play along with his preconceptions. True or not.

The old Ashley attitude kicked in.

"Dude. Say it, don't spray it. I want the news not the weather. If you don't want me to rip you into pieces I suggest you cool off. I came here because I saw a man. I just wanted to ask him what happened to the city?"

"What happened to the city?" the boss repeated in disbelief. "Did you just crawl out of a cave?"

"Not exactly."

"What happened to the city?" he said again.

"Would it make it easier if I wrote it down for you?" Ashley taunted.

"I'll make you a deal," said the boss. "I'll tell you what you want to know and you leave my city."

"I would like nothing better to get out of this hellhole. Make it quick. The building's on fire and you need a breath mint."

They stood there as flames licked up the roof. Ashley in the centre of the warehouse, encircled by vampires.

The vampire boss told her of the beginning of the new wave of vampires. Recruitment centres set up in the cities, all over the world, converting people to the new religion. How the human armies came as the vampire numbers swelled, and destroyed their own cities. Killed indiscriminately, even their own people. And failed to stop the uprising.

Flaming fragments of the roof started falling into the warehouse and the vampires started backing out of the building.

"Don't forget our deal, beserker." The boss laughed manically. "Lord, what fools these mortals are!"

He turned and strode away, apparently finished with her.

"Wait," shouted Ashley. "Who started the 'new wave'?"

"A great man," the boss replied. "Nikola Tesla."

Ashley ran from the building as it began to collapse in on itself. Outside, Vampires dissolved into the dark night around her.

* * *

Ashley made the journey home in a daze, her mind numb with the information she had received. Once back in the relative safety of the sanctuary grounds she barricaded the gate and looked up at the dark shadow of the building in front of her.

White trunks from birch trees seemed almost to glow in the night from the grove she had noticed earlier that day. They appeared to had been deliberately planted in a semi-circular shape. She stopped at the entrance to the grove.

In the clear starlit sky the moon shone down on three grave markers, placed in the centre of the circle. The names on them read:

Henry Foss, William Zimmerman, Helen Magnus.

Ashley sank to her knees.

Hope had remained, no matter how small, that her mother was alive, even in this apocalyptic hellhole. Now, nothing.


	8. Chapter 8

This is for Shykeiro and Melissaadams22, with thanks.

Chapter 8

The front door of the Sanctuary burst open violently and Nikola Tesla entered the building with what he thought was style. Will, who had the poor fortune to be walking through the entrance hall at that exact moment, nearly keeled over from the shock and threw the books he was carrying up into the air.

"Ah, Señor Doctor!" he greeted Will as books rained to the floor. "If you would be so kind. John could do with a hand carrying my luggage."

Without missing a beat, he swished off to see if Helen had restocked the wine cellar since his last visit.

Magnus and Druitt walked in with a bit more decorum, and watched as Will scrambled around the floor picking up books. He stood, looking ruffled.

"He said yes then."

"He did."

"Oh great," he muttered, not quite sincerely. "How was your flight?"

"Excruciating," said Magnus. "I need a drink." She headed toward her study.

"You'd better hurry. He was headed straight for the wine cellar," Will called after her.

"William!" greeted Druitt, with false heartiness. "There's a pile of vampire luggage outside, be good boy and dump it somewhere." Before Will had a chance to open his mouth, he stomped off, not in his best mood.

Will stuck his head out of the front door and looked up at a pile of around twenty Victorian era travel trunks. It would take a small army to move them.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" asked Will to no one in particular.

* * *

Hours later the team began to assemble in the library, which Tesla had taken over as his study. All the desks had been pulled together and were strewn with plans and blueprints covered in scribbles, still a work in progress. Tesla and Henry were in deep discussion as they entered the room having just inspected the equipment assembled so far.

Tesla looked over every one of the Sanctuary team from head to foot.

"You're a motley crew but you'll have to do I suppose. Firstly, I've come up with an additional list of vital apparatus, we cannot do without."

He handed the list to Magnus who skimmed through it raising an eyebrow at one item.

"An 1857 bottle of d'Yquem! Do you have any idea of how much that costs?" She looked at him. "Of course you do. Nikola, if this works, I'll buy you as many bottles as you like."

He gave her a grin full of fang and continued.

"The building needs to be evacuated."

Magnus looked to Will. "Will, Bigfoot and I will see to that. Henry, take a look at the list and see what you can do. Call in any favours we have left."

"And John," said Tesla. "We need to have an in depth chat about that filthy teleporting habit of yours."

"We've forgotten the most important thing," Bigfoot grunted. "A message. We need to send Ashley a message so she knows to wait at the lab."

"Come on, we can do that," Magnus said to Bigfoot. They left the room with Will and headed for the study.

Henry remained in the library engrossed in the list Magnus had given him. Feeling someone's gaze boring through his skull, he looked up to see Druitt and Tesla staring at him, like predators.

"Why don't you go and do something about that list", said Druitt.

"Yeah," he squeaked and tried not to run out of the room.

Druitt and Tesla faced each other. Alone at last. They dropped any pretence of getting along at once.

"I know why you're doing this," said Druitt.

"And _I _know why you're doing this," replied Tesla.

Druitt sneered, "You don't have a clue."

"The fact is John, no matter how much you hate it, I would do anything Helen asked. Do you know why?" Druitt glowered at him. "Because she was the only one of the five who didn't treat me like dirt. And you," he said with venom in his voice, "you were the worst of them all."

Druitt laughed incredulously. "_That_ is why you hate me so much? You think I bullied you?"

"Don't laugh at me," Tesla spat furiously.

Druitt pulled open his shirt. "Remember this Nikola? How you tortured me? No matter what you told Helen, it wasn't shock therapy. You took pleasure in torturing me."

They stood on opposite sides of the desk leaning in toward each other, hatred simmering between them.

"What are you going to do John? Cut my throat?" Tesla taunted. "I brought you back to your senses didn't I?!" he shouted.

They both stood back and tried to compose themselves.

Druitt said quietly, "I didn't bully you. I kept your feet on the ground. You were an insufferable, arrogant, know-it-all with delusions of grandeur." He stopped, coming to a realization. "You're testing me."

"I need to know, John. When you make the biggest jump of your life, you're not going to flip out and murder the first pretty girl you see. Can you honestly tell me that's not going to happen? What is your worst fear John? Destroying everything worth living for. Pretty soon you may have to face that fear."

Druitt struggled to regain his composure and failed.

"I will not allow that to happen," he roared. "I will conquer this!"

Stillness fell throughout the Sanctuary as the roar echoed around the halls.

Tesla nodded. "Then let's get to work."

"I need to know everything about teleporting. What happens to your body when you teleport? We already know what happens to your mind," he snuck in inappropriately. "What it feels like. How you do it. How it works. Anything you can tell me."

They sat down at the desk and began to talk.

Magnus sat in front of the security monitor in her study having seen everything that had gone on. She put her hand over her eyes. "Oh, god."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

As they neared the time of reckoning the atmosphere in the Sanctuary got progressively tenser. Henry and Tesla had declared they were to be undisturbed in the lab as they built whatever it was they were building. Druitt had disappeared from the bustle of activity although Magnus knew him to be on the roof, meditating, of all things.

Bigfoot came into Magnus' study where Will and Magnus were making urgent calls for obscure materials Tesla insisted he needed. He had come from the lab where he had been unceremoniously thrown out by Tesla, after requesting a resistant material from which to make a message.

"We have enough titanium for only 22 letters. What should the message say?" asked Bigfoot.

"Titanium, wow. That should resist anything. I was thinking, we shouldn't write it in English, maybe try and code it a bit," suggested Will. "You never know who else will read it."

"Latin," said Magnus. "We'll write it in Latin."

"Will Ashley understand Latin?" asked Will, none too certain of Ashley's academic prowess.

"Despite her preference for more active subjects, she did a very good job of appearing to be listening during her Latin classes," said Magnus. "We can only hope some of it sunk in." She scribbled down a note for Bigfoot.

"Here, this makes 21 letters. I've kept it relatively simple. Ashley should know what this means." Bigfoot grunted and went to fix the message to the wall of the lab.

* * *

Ashley was beyond caring what fears she would face in the lab. In the darkness of the night she lit a torch, not interested in whoever's wrath it would incur. To hell with vampires. Let them come.

The final piece of the puzzle awaited her as she made her way to the heart of the Sanctuary.

She stood there looking around the room. She was certain her dreams had been real. There was no longer any vampire source blood left in her system. Something had forced whatever the Cabal had done to her out of her body.

Something stronger.

Something worse.

Ashley sat despondently on a massive metal arc, one end of which was embedded in the wall. A pigeon strutted around the floor, pecking at the bodies which still lay there. It was the other one of the pair she had caught earlier than day. Probably wondering where its mate was.

Ashley looked up as the pigeon flew out of the chamber up into the sky. As it flew upward, the draught from its wings disturbed the leaves of the climbing vines. For a second, on the wall something silver glinted through the screen of plants.

Curious, she climbed up the thick stems of the vines and began ripping the leaves off the wall. The silver became clear; there was writing on the wall. Eventually the words were all cleared from obstruction. It lay along the wall separating the lower level of the lab and the upper level. It was a message. For her.

The feeling from this realization was indescribable. The metallic letters glittered at her like fireflies, from the reflecting firelight. A smile engulfed her face and stayed there. She felt as though the sun had come out in the middle of the night and shone down just for her.

It read. 'AM In situ tempus fugit HM'

Latin. Of course it would be in freaking Latin. Trust her mother to make everything more complicated than it had to be. Fingers crossed, she could remember what her mother had tried to drum into her head when she was a child.

'AM must stand for Ashley Magnus and HM had to mean Helen Magnus,' she thought.

'Tempus fugit meant time flies. That was a pretty famous phrase.'

'In situ. What was that? I gotta ask Mom for more Latin lessons when I get back.'

Get back? That thought hadn't crossed her mind for a long time.

* * *

Will had searched the Sanctuary for Magnus high and low. The last place he chose to look should probably have been the first. He found Magnus on the roof of the tower, gazing over the city.

"Found you at last. Tesla's having problems. He's getting cranky, something's wrong. He wants to start running preliminary systems checks on the equipment. It will interfere with security operations."

Magnus said nothing, not even listening.

"Magnus?" asked Will, stepping closer.

"What if she's not there, Will?" asked Magnus, not expecting a reply. Will looked surprised.

"What if she is?" he countered.

"What if she'd dead? Been dead all along and this is for nothing."

Will stepped up next to her. He was way out of his depth with the physics and teleporting conversations that had filled the Sanctuary over the past few days. He was way out of his depth most of the time in this strange new world. But this, this was something he could handle.

"What if she's trapped in the future? Alone. Scared," he said playing on her natural fears. "There's only one way to find out," he continued. "We've come so close to almost finding out. Do you want to give up now?"

"If we go through with this and we come up with nothing. There will be no hope left," said Magnus. The tone of her voice told him her thoughts were far away in a despairingly dark, lonely place.

"Everything you ever wanted could be waiting for you, just around the corner. If you don't try you'll never know and she will be lost forever."

He paused, "Although, Henry said something to me earlier. He asked for my help welding something."

Magnus looked at him. Will had tickled her curiosity.

"Don't worry he was the one welding, not me. Anyway, I wasn't holding it right or something and told me so. I said, 'Sorry, I am trying you know' and he said, 'Try? There is no try. Do or do not.' I thought it's a pretty cool saying. We _are_ going to do this."

Magnus smiled at Will obliviousness. Henry had made her watch the Star Wars movies more than once, the original trilogy of course. The new one was forbidden within the Sanctuary walls.

"Magnus. We have to go back to work. They are all waiting for us. Ashley is waiting for us."

"You don't know that."

"No, but we're all busting a gut down there and we're none of us going to stop until we find out. One way or another. Please, come and talk to Tesla before he does something stupid and upsets Druitt. They listen to you."

She sighed, it was true, they did listen to her. They all did. God knows why.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Magnus accompanied Will back to the library. Everyone was there sitting around the desk looking a bit worried as Druitt and Tesla argued.

"I've never heard anything so bloody ridiculous in all my life," Druitt was bellowing at Tesla. "You cannot even begin to compare the two. There are too many variables not to mention two world wars, the fall of an empire. The advances in technology alone are worlds apart."

"It's hypothetical John, not a fixed reality. Just imagine that it were a possibility, then what would happen?"

"What appears to be the problem?" asked Magnus.

Druitt and Tesla were fuming at each other. Bigfoot, Henry and Will were simply trying not to get in any way involved with the dispute.

Henry leaned over toward Magnus and whispered, "They're talking about cricket."

"What about it?"

Tesla turned to Magnus innocently, hoping for an ally.

"Helen, just imagine for a moment that you could transpose the entire 1901 English cricket team and switch it with the current one. Then have them play the Australians. Who would win?"

The look she gave him could have stunned a stampede of vampires in their tracks.

"I don't give a damn about bloody cricket," she snapped. "Why have you stopped working? Is it ready?"

"Helen," Tesla looked shocked, and did a good impression of hurt as well. "How can you say such a thing? Cricket is the game of the gods!"

"Nikola," she warned.

"Oh all right. If you must know, I'm stuck." He shook his head, finding it hard to believe he had admitted that he wasn't perfect out loud. "Something is just not right. I'm missing something, but I don't know what."

Will and Magnus joined them at the think-tank at the desk, wallowing in defeat.

"Wilberforce, my good man! We need wine. Wine helps me think."

"He keeps calling me that," Will muttered to Magnus.

Bigfoot looked to Magnus and she nodded. He got up and returned a few minutes later with a case of wine.

They discussed theories of time, space, quantum physics, alternate dimensions, the machinery they were constructing and the downright impossible. Everyone contributed on whatever level they could and had such a crash course in theoretical physics and electro-magnetics, they thought they could have taken a shot at building the machine themselves. That could also have been down to amount of wine consumed.

The wine bottles got emptier and as the hours went by they dropped off to sleep one by one. Will first, then Henry who whimpered in his sleep, and then Bigfoot, all snoozing away in their chairs.

The remaining three hit a temporary lull in the conversation, each lost in their own thoughts. Tesla stared off into space his mind a million miles away. His eyes narrowed as they focused on Henry who was snoring opposite him. With his physics t-shirt on.

He leapt up, spilling wine all over the paperwork and making Druitt and Magnus jump.

"By Jove, I do believe the wolf boys got it!"

"What is it?"

"'Elementary', to quote an old friend. One of the fundamental constants of the universe. Gravity. It's what's missing from the equation. I am almost embarrassed to say I nearly missed it."

"Almost, but not quite," observed Druitt dryly.

He turned with a grin to look at Magnus and Druitt, sickeningly pleased with himself. "A few adjustments in the morning to compensate for a monopole magnetism gravity shift and we are ready. All we have to do now is wait."

"You just said we were ready," pointed out Magnus.

"We are. I may be a genius but even I can't control the weather. We await an electrical storm," he pronounced dramatically.

"I'll drink to that," said Magnus and poured more wine. "Oh, and Nikola? I'd go with the 1901 England team, every time."

The main business finally out of the way the friends eventually found their way to talking about old times. Some a little worse for wear than others.

"Nikola," asked Magnus. "Do you ever wonder if you have a drinking problem?"

"Certainly not," he declared. "It's one of my super powers. I am impervious to wine!"

"I'm not so sure."

"A toast!"

Druitt sighed, "Not another one."

Tesla had been making random toasts ever since the gravity moment, even toasting himself on multiple occasions.

"To the Five. James and Nigel. I wish they could be here on this auspicious occasion, so that once again the magnificent five could break through the barriers of science." He knocked back his glass of wine.

"To the Five," agreed Druitt.

"The Five," said Magnus.

Tesla fell back into his chair and fell fast asleep.

"Thank god for that," groaned Druitt.

* * *

Ashley sat in the Lab, staring at the message. She had cleared away the rubble so that the ground was bare and moved the bodies into a pile in the corridor, out of her line of sight. The loose vampire heads were now stuck on makeshift pikes and placed outside next to the main gate, to warn off and wind up any vampires who decided to come wandering by.

She tapped her foot on the ground and waited. Patience was not one of her virtues.

After a few hours of waiting she decided to get rid of the bodies. She didn't want any potential rescue party asking awkward questions. She dragged the first one outside and laid it on the drive noticing as she did, five vampires outside the main gate. They were watching every move she made. When they saw her they scattered, at least they were still scared of her, for now.

Ashley walked the perimeter of the grounds and back to the main gate, just in case they were up to something. There was no sight of anyone or anything. As she alternated between the lab and the grounds, bringing up the rest of the corpses, Ashley noticed the vampires return. Each time she looked outside there were more of them. Like birds on a wire. They disappeared each time she made it clear she could see them.

With all the corpses finally outside she built a fire, a funeral pyre. Not that they deserved it, and it was good hygiene anyway, she certainly wasn't hiding any evidence. She placed it in the middle of the drive so every nosey, busybody, fanged freak could see. This time the vampires stayed.

Unafraid, on the outside, Ashley walked down the drive toward them. She stood there staring them down and pointed to the pikes with the heads of their comrades on. Then pointed back to the vampires. They snarled. And left.

Feeling very pleased with herself she wandered back down to the lab.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Tesla paused in front of the doors to the lab, preparing to show the team his ground breaking creation for the first time.

"Ladies and gentlemen, ab-normals and murderers. May I present," he threw open the doors. "The Teslator!"

He was met with a resounding silence.

"Did you say Tessalator?" asked Will.

"No pretty boy, I did not. I said Tesla-tor."

"Cos, I gotta tell you, that's a pretty lame name. Tessalator sounds much cooler."

Tesla glared at him, "I'd like to hear you come up with something better. Do you know how hard it is to come up with a name for inventions? It's the hardest part of the whole project." Magnus cleared her throat. "All right, forget the name, I'll work on it. Anyway where was I? Oh yes. Ta da! I'm not exactly being bowled over by your enthusiasm people," he complained.

"Oh great!"

"Yeah, well done."

"It looks amazing."

"Hmmm, marginally better," said Tesla slightly mollified.

In the centre of the lab was 'the machine'. It sat on a pedestal of three steps up from the ground. Three massive titanium semi circular metal arcs were attached to the centre of the pedestal and met again at the top.

"It's beautiful in its simplicity, it really is. I have outdone myself this time, if that is even possible. This would have 'Nobel' written all over it if I weren't in hiding. And they didn't screw it up again."

"Nikola," Magnus tried to interrupt him.

"Maybe I should try out a new identity," continued Tesla not paying attention. "Tesla's great grandson or something. A least the same idiots cant possibly be in charge.

"Nikola!"

"Hmmm, yes?"

"How does it work?" asked Magnus, exasperated with herself for finding Tesla's rant amusing.

"Helen my dear, there is not time enough in all the universe to explain exactly how this baby works. Suffice to say, John stands here," he said running to the centre of the pedestal. "We switch on the power," he waved an arm at a junction box with hundreds of cables leading into it. "The Tesla coil kicks it off, named after, oh wait, me. One arc rotates clockwise and its counterpart anticlockwise. Are you all with me so far? Good," he grinned and took a deep breath.

"The arcs will alternate at near light speed, which will drive the magnetic flux density measured by the _Tesla unit_," he said pointedly looking at Will. "Which, is held in place by the third arc which will be transversing outside the central two creating the core, the mass of which should project through the fabric of space and therefore time, creating I should point out, a paradox or possibly a black hole which would mean certain obliteration for us all." He stared off into space contemplating the possibilities.

"I think I speak for all of us when I say… What?" said Henry.

Bigfoot grunted in agreement and then pointed out. "I thought you helped build it?"

"I did," said Henry. "That doesn't mean I know what it is."

"So what you're saying is this machine will send a beacon of light and gravity through time and space following John's teleporting trajectory leaving a trail which he can then follow to return back to this time and place?" asked Magnus.

Tesla looked absolutely delighted. "That's exactly it! Helen, your talents are wasted, you should have been a physicist. If you ever want a job, call me." He winked at her. "We've only one last check of absolutely everything to complete and we're hot to trot."

The team scattered all over the Sanctuary to see to their appointed duties leaving Tesla happily adjusting and re-adjusting bits of machinery in the lab.

* * *

Magnus walked along one of the darkened corridors which led away from the main lab. It was cooler the further away from the machinery she got. She found Druitt, sitting in the dark his eyes closed.

"Are you ready?" she asked him.

He didn't reply. She sat down next to him on the floor, back against the wall, in the shadows.

"You haven't really talked to me for the past couple of days," she said, trying to make it sound casual.

"I'm sorry," he replied. "I've been trying to focus, I'm worried about this teleport. I've been trying to focus on Ashley, so that I can jump straight to her."

"How does it work?" she asked.

"Usually, I think of a place, picture it in my mind or even on a map and I can get there. It works with people as well. Well, one person. I need it to work for Ashley. I've been thinking about her, but I'm not sure it it's enough. All I can picture is her fighting me, her fists and feet hitting me, hard, and the look on her face when she realized I was her father."

"Do you love her?"

Druitt turned to look at Magnus in the dim light.

"I do."

"Then that is all you have to think about." After a minutes silence Magnus couldn't help but ask. "When did you realize that you loved her?"

He sighed and laid his head back against the wall and closed his eyes as he recollected.

"It was when I tried to get her to capture me. She fought me and lost, I let her go and she did it again and failed. I could see it in her eyes, she knew she couldn't beat me, she was furious, but she got up and tried again. Every time." Magnus could hear the smile in his voice without needing to see it. He was proud of his warrior daughter. "She's just as stubborn as you are," said Druitt.

"I want to come with you," she said.

That made him open his eyes.

"No, Helen. You must remain here, in case this contraption fails. I can still get back if you're here."

"How?"

"I don't know. I can… find you, in time and space. You're my constant," he admitted.

They sat in companionable silence, lost in thought. Eventually Druitt stood up and walked out of the corridor, out of the darkness, toward the light that would take him to the future. Magnus gave him some time before she followed him to the lab.

* * *

Tesla was checking over every piece of his beloved machine. "I should probably warn you. It's going to get hot in here," he said, wiggling his eyebrows at Magnus. "Not that it isn't already. Anything liable to melt or with potential to burst into flames should be removed. You _will _lose the computer system. It's rather fortunate this is a stone building or we'd all burn to death."

Henry came running into the lab. "It's here! The storm's arrived. A few more minutes and we should have lightning."

Bigfoot and Will entered the lab, behind him having just completed the last sweep of the building.

"How did you get your computer to work?" asked Will. "There's a blackout radius of a mile around the building."

"Come on boy genius, I looked out the window."

"Oh." Feeling mildly embarrassed, Will reported to Magnus. "There's no one in the building or in the grounds. The perimeter is locked down."

"Good," said Magnus. "Thankyou both. Now take Henry with you and get out."

Will stepped forward. "Yeah, we thought you'd say that, and we're all agreed… No." It took guts to say that to Magnus, a woman they all respected immensely. "We're staying."

"You can't do anything to help."

"Maybe not, but we want to be here when you get Ashley back."

"Clear the lab," said Tesla. "If you're staying, get out of my lab. Or there will be a highly likely occurrence of death. There are 3 things everyone staying needs to know."

"Number one: no one in the lab. Number two. There will be a shockwave as the sound barrier is broken. It may make the more faint-hearted among you jump. Number three. I don't know what will happen at number three. Hopefully it will give John a kick up the backside as he teleports, without scattering his molecules halfway around the galaxy. Helen, we'll need someone to watch the radiometer in the grounds. Let me know if anything happens that shouldn't be happening."

Magnus nodded, "There you go fellas. That's your task."

The machine started whirring. The three metal arcs began to accelerate making an odd sound as they rotated around each other and cut through the air. Druitt stood in the middle of them, eyes closed, head bowed, focused on the task ahead. Magnus peered over Tesla's shoulder.

"Nikola, I probably should have asked this earlier. Do you know what you're doing?"

He looked at her and grinned. "Not really," he admitted. "Isn't it exciting!?"

The whirring of the machinery was getting louder and louder making it hard to hear anyone speak. Tesla shouted to Druitt. "John, just to let you know, there's a very good chance this won't work at all. And an even better one that you'll die a very painful, but not undeserved, death. Any last confessions? Preferably ones the whole world doesn't all ready know."

Of course he'd left it so it was too late for Druitt to do anything. Druitt shouted back. "If this works, I'll repay you by not killing you." Then, a couple of seconds later, "I have faith in you Nikola."

Tesla looked momentarily stunned by the sincere admission. He glanced at Magnus standing next to him, her eyes were fixed on Druitt.

"Let's see how brilliant I really am. Let the show begin," said Tesla. He pulled a lever and more power entered the chamber. It started crackling, high voltage electrical energy. Tesla took Magnus by the arm and led her out of the chamber.

"It would be certain death even for the more resilient among us to remain in there. I might make it but you certainly wouldn't."

The machine reached a high pitched whine then, a shock wave rippled out spreading for miles. There was no sound in the chamber any more. Not that there was anyone in the chamber to make a noise. John Druitt had disappeared.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The Sanctuary rumbled, the stonework shuddered and dust which hadn't seen the light of day since the founding stones had been lain escaped.

Tesla's magical, mystery machine had imploded. The unbreakable titanium arcs had been blown out from the core they had created and embedded themselves into the ten foot thick stone fortress. The energy core had collapsed in on itself and sent out a resounding shockwave. A ball of blue energy sat crackling away on the pedestal, uncontained.

Hidden away in the safety of the stone corridors Magnus and Tesla listened in horror to the blast. The air seemed to be sucked out of the subterranean level of the Sanctuary and was replaced with thick, choking dust. Not even stopping to breathe they ran to the lab.

Magnus and Tesla surveyed the devastation. The sphere of energy was radiating waves of energy dampening any noise. Shockwaves rippled outward forcing the two scientists to their knees. The energy pulsed away from the ground taking the path of least resistance out of the lab and shot off into the sky leaving a gaping hole in the roof.

Magnus grabbed Tesla by his jacket, her composure, carefully cultivated over 158 years, was lost to the wind. She screamed at him.

"What happened? Where are they?"

Tesla stared at her, he couldn't hear a thing. Magnus dropped him as she realized she couldn't hear or be heard either. Wind whipped and whirled around them, air roaring in from the outside replacing that which had been lost. With the air, also returned was the sound but they both knelt there in silence, shaking. They didn't need to speak, each knew that their plan was irrevocably and beyond any shadow of a doubt, shot to hell.

* * *

Henry, Bigfoot and Will stood watching from the grounds as the fireball rocketed into the sky. This was not a good omen.

"No one mentioned fireballs. Were there fireballs in the plan?" asked Henry, without waiting for an answer. The trio ran as fast as humanly and abnormally possible to the epicenter.

They found Tesla alone in the lab, pulling cables and wires around, throwing melted ones on a pile. He was trying to salvage something, anything. They could see he was almost in tears. They didn't need telling that something beyond awful had happened. That Tesla had just lost his best friend's entire reason for existing.

"I can fix this," he was telling himself. "I just need, I need…." He looked around, totally bewildered.

Bigfoot walked up to him and put his hands firmly on Tesla's shoulders.

"Nikola. Look at me." Henry and Will stood either side of him. "You must calm yourself. Tell us what you need us to do."

* * *

Magnus walked up through the hall to the ground floor of the Sanctuary. That was it. The bottom had fallen out of her world. Again! Had she been anyone other than Magnus she would have broken down and cried with despair. All that remained was to have faith in John. And he didn't have the best track record when it came to trustworthiness. Both of them, lost.

_**

* * *

**_

_**The future**_

Ashley stood outside the main door of the building like Boudiccea, with spear and cloak, defender of the Sanctuary. She watched the growing numbers of vampires gather outside the gate and began to curse her smart mouth. Why couldn't she just keep it shut? She turned to make another trip back down to the lab. If something didn't turn up soon she was going to have to come to a decision about the imminent vampire infestation.

She stopped stock still at the entrance to the lab as she saw a man standing in the middle of the chamber. It didn't matter that he had his back to her, she'd recognize that baldy head anywhere.

Druitt stepped out of a sphere of blue light, sparking like electricity. He was shell-shocked, his mind reeling from the wildest teleport he had ever endured. As his eyes focused on his surroundings, the first thing he saw were the metal arcs embedded in the walls. His mind clouded over with rage. 'The machine. It hadn't worked, it had broken. Tesla had failed, that arrogant, useless, son of a…'

He turned around and his eyes met Ashley's. His anger dissipated in a heartbeat. They stared at each other in disbelief for what seemed like an age. Ashley stood before him like a warrior princess, with her tattered jacket, gauntlets and spear. Her hair was streaked with soot, dust and dried blood and her face smeared with dirt. She was beautiful.

"I never thought I'd be happy to see you," said Ashley to her father.

He gave her a lopsided grin and she mirrored it. For the first time ever she gave him a genuine smile, finally glad he was there. To Druitt's surprise, Ashley flung herself into his arms and hugged him fiercely, truly thankful she was no longer alone. She buried her face in his shoulder and he held her gently as she tried not to cry. Something clicked in John's brain and for the first time in his life he understood what it was to be a father, to hold his child in his arms, to be willing to move time and space for his daughter.

The crackling blue energy in the centre of the lab sparked and smoked, disturbing their peaceable reunion.

Then it disappeared, leaving only a wisp of smoke.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"What was that?" asked Ashley, referring to the way he had arrived. Druitt asked, "Are you all right?" at the same time.

She looked him in the eye. "No," she admitted.

He didn't know what to say to that, so said nothing and looked over at his point of arrival. "That was our way home. It might come back. It had better come back." Then, "It actually worked," he murmured to himself. He turned back to Ashley.

"I will need to rest for a while. That was like no teleport I have ever undertaken before."

"How long do you need?" asked Ashley. Druitt cocked his head to the side quizzically. Ashley was suspiciously impatient.

"Don't take this the wrong way. I'm really glad to see you and all but, is it just you? Or are you the advance guard?" she asked hopefully, looking around the room as though expecting a few more people to pop out of thin air.

"I'm the cavalry, infantry and artillery. It's just me Ashley." He stopped and looked around, frowning, listening carefully for something. "What is that noise?"

"What noise? I don't hear any noise. Oh, that noise. It's nothing," she looked away. "I expect it's just the baying horde of vampires I left at the gate."

From outside came a distant roar, like monotonous drumbeats from the guard at the gates of paradise.

"What on Earth is going on?"

"From what I can gather, I'm… we're the only humans, in a post apocalyptic wasteland populated by vampires who insist they are top of the food chain and _really_ don't like me. Then there's the monstrous hungry wolves. It's a bit shitty."

"Language," he admonished her naturally.

"Sorry," she said without thinking, forgetting that old Ashley would never have obeyed his request, or apologized for it. In fact she'd have probably told him to shove it. "Look, can we _please _just go home now?"

Still listening carefully to the consistent rumble, Druitt asked, "Why are they at the gate? Is the Sanctuary secure?"

"I'm pretty sure they're working themselves up to climb over the walls and then eat me," she stated as a matter of fact.

"Why?"

"I might have… riled them up a bit."

"Ashley," Druitt said mildly exasperated. "We may be stranded here awhile. Without that blue energy… thing, it's going to take _a lot_ to teleport back in time."

Ashley looked worried. "But, they really, really don't like me."

There was a glint in Druitt's eyes. "Don't worry, they'll have to deal with me now."

* * *

Unable to rest without knowing the exact situation he found himself smack bang in the middle of, Druitt decided to investigate first and recuperate later. Ashley's explanation of the situation was sketchy at best, she was clearly leaving out information and he was intrigued as to why. He made his way to the grounds with Ashley trailing reluctantly not far behind him.

To his relief, the vampires were still holding beyond the gate. He didn't currently have the strength to fight them. To his annoyance, there were an awful lot of them and they were certainly incensed about something. He walked calmly down the drive toward the gate. The commotion lulled slightly as they observed the new player on the human team. The din rose again and became enraged as they saw Ashley with him. He stopped yards from the gate, noticing the severed vampire heads impaled on pikes.

"Are those your decorations?" he asked Ashley.

"I like to think of them as a polite notice not to trespass," she replied.

A vampire snarled and reached through the gate with a clawed fist as he heard the words. Druitt glowered at him. He stood there and waited in silence, staring at the vampires until eventually, the mob fell quiet. Ashley could hardly believe it. How bad ass was this man to actually stare down a hundred vampires? She was glad he was on her side.

The silent, sullen crowd parted and the boss vampire walked through to the gate. He bared his fangs and tried to nonchalantly rest his arms through the gate. He leered at Ashley.

"We had a deal, I told you to leave, girly."

Druitt said nothing. Ashley scratched her ear, unsure what to do, Druitt wasn't responding so maybe it would be best if she followed his lead. However, her smart mouth took over easily.

"I'm sorry, we don't subscribe to vampire herd monthly, we're not buying today. Come back, uh, never."

"We had a deal," he repeated.

"I don't make deals with vampire scum," Ashley said, getting cockier in the knowledge that Druitt was at her side. Even in silence he still radiated a menacing power. The vampires could sense it too.

"Who's your friend?" asked the boss, curiously.

"You don't want to know," replied Ashley truthfully.

"Am I supposed to be scared of him?"

"You should be."

The boss threw back his head and roared with laughter, feeling seemingly safe with the vampire numbers he had amassed. His grubby minions laughed with him. Snapping out of it instantly, he temporarily lost interest in Druitt and turned his anger back to Ashley.

"We want the church, my little beserker," spat the boss.

"Piss off!" snarled Ashley. "It's not yours. What do vampires want with a church anyway?"

"It's the irony factor. Although not as ironic as when we put your head on one of those pikes!" The crowd roared with approval.

Druitt stared at them in quiet, terrible fury. His eyes leveled on the vampire boss. If looks could kill the vampire would be 6ft under. Druitt calmly walked over to the gate, the boss watching him with renewed interest. Ashley whispered, "Oh crap, here we go."

He grabbed hold of the vampire's arms and instantly ripped them off his body. The boss screamed in agony. The pack of vampires went insane. They flung themselves at the gate trying to force it down. The final line had been crossed, the signal given. They were going to storm the Sanctuary.

Ashley stepped back in shock at the intensity of the attack, from both sides. The gates groaned under the pressure but held. Druitt grabbed another vampire and snapped its neck through the bars.

"We've gotta go," shouted Ashley.

Druitt's mind was about to descend into chaos. He wanted to rip into these monsters, tear them limb from limb, but there was something holding him back. Literally. Ashley was holding on to his arm. Anchoring him. Ashley. He remembered. He had to get her home. In one piece.

"Dad, lets go," she said quietly.

He turned away from the gate, the hounds of hell tearing at his heels and his mind, took hold of Ashley, and teleported.

The horde screamed with fury, the gates fell, vampires trapped and trampled under each other as they poured through the entrance. They swarmed through the grounds toward the building and like a wave of wild animals began to cross the threshold into the Sanctuary.

* * *

"And I'm back on the bloody roof again," groaned Ashley, sitting on the floor of the tower for the second time in the past few days.

Druitt checked the door, noticing bloody handprints on the wall beside it, but it remained as Ashley had found it, secure. Ashley sat back against the wall. "Don't worry, they can't get on the roof, we're safe here. I think this must have happened before, that's why the door is bolted from the outside. The only way off is to teleport."

Druitt looked puzzled. "You said you're back on the roof? How did you get up here and down again if the only way is to teleport?"

"It's a long story." They looked at each other, Ashley looking away first. She changed the subject. "When we get back I'm going to have a steaming, boiling hot bubble bath and then sleep for oh, I don't know, a month maybe. You know, I didn't even notice how much dirt I'm covered in until I saw you and your clean clothes. I bet I stink. Do I look filthy?"

"You look like a street urchin," said Druitt, peering down from the parapet at the vampires flooding over the grounds.

"Oh great, thanks. An urchin who's gonna eat chocolate cake until I am sick," she continued.

"Has anyone ever told you you're a blether?" asked Druitt amused.

"Yeah, Mom does. All the time." The thought sobered her and she sat quietly.

Druitt nodded as he surveyed the scene below. "I'm not surprised. You're sure they can't get up here?"

"Yes," she said.

Druitt settled down against the wall and closed his eyes, finally allowing himself to rest. Ashley watched him. A thousand questions ran through her mind, all the things she wanted to ask him, to know about him, about her mother.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Druitt awoke as raindrops splashed on his exposed head and drummed on the rooftop. He looked over to Ashley who was sitting against the opposite wall, a look of disgust on her face as she looked up at the black storm clouds which had gathered over head. They sat in silence, observing each other, while Druitt tried to clear his head. A dull headache pounded behind his eyes, an after effect of the teleport he had made hours before.

He got up and peered over the wall looking out over the Sanctuary grounds. A couple of vampires could be seen patrolling, searching for them. He looked over to the gateway. The gates lay discarded on the ground inside the walls, there was one body belonging to the vampire whose neck Druitt had snapped. It lay in the gateway next to two severed arms. There was no sign of the rest of the vampire boss. A frantic banging at the door to the tower made him turn around, his long coat whipping around him.

"It's all right. They've been doing that for hours," said Ashley. "They can't get through."

He walked over to her, slid his back down the wall and sat down next to her on the wet stones.

"We need to talk."

"About what?" she muttered unenthusiastically. She had been re-evaluating her situation as he slept and found she had a lot of things to hide, should he ask.

"What happened to the vampire powers the Cabal gave you? How have you regained control?"

"I didn't like 'em. I got rid of them."

"How?"

"Dunno." Like hell she was going to tell anyone the truth, ever.

"Ashley, anything you tell me here in the future, can stay here in the future, if you want it to."

"I don't want to talk about it."

Damn, she thought. She couldn't get off the rooftop without him, she couldn't get home without him and he wasn't going to budge until she'd given him something. "I did some research on you, after I found out you were my father." He said nothing but listened intently.

"Mom didn't tell me anything you know, not that I asked her. She's hard to talk to," she admitted. "Anyway," she said sidestepping that other awkward subject. "I did some research."

"You know what I did," he said flatly.

"That's not what I meant. I looked _you_ up. You, John Druitt, not Jack the Ripper. The man, not the monster. The man who my mother fell in love with."

He looked over at her, intrigued. This girl was full of surprises. He could barely bring himself to ask the next question, dreading the answer. "What did you find?" he managed, hopefully.

"Not much, everything goes on and on about the Ripper stuff. I found out you were a barrister and a teacher. You played cricket. Your father was a physician and you had a brother," she paused, unsure how he would react to the next bit. "I read about what happened to your mother and grandmother."

"Ah."

"Were you sick? Before the experiment?"

"No."

"But you could have been. It's hereditary isn't it? Did Mom know?"

He laughed bitterly. "Your mother told me recently that, no matter what the experiment did to me, there must always have been a predilection for killing."

"You could be bi-polar."

"Is that what they call it now? I think my problems go way beyond any normal human condition. Ashley, no I wasn't sick. And you're not going to get sick either," answering her unvoiced question. "I made a choice. When the teleporting started to… unravel me, I chose to keep doing it. I chose the excitement, the power. It was the wrong choice but, I made it and now I have to live with it."

"But your grandmother killed herself, they said she was insane."

"Who are _they_?" he said not enjoying this line of questioning.

"Did she?"

"Yes," he admitted. "And my mother was also sick, depression they called it. They put her in an asylum after I disappeared. She died there alone, thinking I was dead. I am not sick Ashley. There is only one time I have ever wanted to kill myself. To be dead. When Helen shot me, the look on her face alone could have killed me. I betrayed her."

He had never spoken these thoughts to anyone before. Ashley had never asked anyone these questions before.

"Why did you kill those women?"

"I don't know. I don't remember," he admitted.

Ashley thought about her recent blackouts and the things she suspected she may have done. She wondered if he experienced the same things but was terrified to ask.

"_Did_ you kill them?"

"I think so."

They both stared into space, Druitt's mind in Victorian London and Ashley's in denial. They neither of them paid attention to the raindrops as they fell more frequently soaking through their clothes.

"How long have I been gone?" Ashley asked her father.

"About six months."

"Six months? I've been here a week!"

"Maybe time moves differently here."

"If I stayed here another week then I'd be gone another six months?"

"Six months is a lifetime," said Druitt, thinking of all he and Magnus had gone through in the six months they'd lost Ashley.

"I want to go home," said Ashley fervently, thinking of the awful things she had experienced in this hellish future.

"I suppose we'd better be getting back then." He stood and held his hand out to her. She took it and he pulled her up. The rain poured down steadily unknowing that the two it fell on were about to defy the laws of nature. "Without that fireball we're going to have to this the old fashioned way. Ashley?"

"Yes?"

"This is going to hurt. No matter what happens, do not let go. Are you ready?"

"No."

Druitt took a step back.

"What I say in the future stays in the future?" she asked cautiously.

Druitt nodded, "If you want it to."

Ashley took a deep breath. "I don't have the Cabal drug in me any more, it's gone forever. But, it woke up my own powers. I can teleport and I think I can heal as well, like Mom. I don't know about the live forever part though. I teleported when I needed to, to save my life. I don't know how to do it otherwise, and it hurts, like hell. But after a while, a few hours, I can feel my head healing and the pain, the noise… the voice, goes away." He stared at her. The questions about madness and murder made a bit more sense.

"I don't want to get sick," she said quietly, confessed her worst fear.

He held out his arm and she took it, bravely looking him in the eye after admitting the truth out loud. He wrapped his arms tightly around hers and stared into her eyes. "It's not the sickness Ashley, it's the teleporting. It clouds your mind and ends up taking a piece of your soul."

"Then why don't _you_ stop teleporting?"

"By the time I realized there was something worth living for, it was too late."

"It's never too late."

He gave her a smile. Maybe she was right, anything was possible. The rain fell steadily, running down Ashley's face washing away the dirt. He wiped it away.

"I think I might keep you," she said looking up at him. His heart nearly burst it was so full. It was such a shame all this progress would be lost in the brutal teleport ahead of him.

"Think of your mother, waiting for you. Focus on her and nothing else."

Ashley closed her eyes. The world turned blue and ripped into pieces. Their bodies and minds disintegrated into dust and the rain whirled into the empty space they had left behind.

Loud hammering came from the door in the tower and it finally gave in and flung open into the rain. Two vampires ran onto the roof, followed by a slower, very angry armless one.

"There's nobody here boss."

"I can see that you imbecile," he screamed. "Find them! No one stops until we find them!"


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Helen Magnus stood on the Sanctuary tower in the pouring rain. The thunderstorm was at full strength, lightning lit up the old city at intervals. She stared out over the river watching the water go by on its never ending journey. Just like her never ending, lonely life.

She should really go inside before she got hit by lightning but she couldn't face her friends. They'd be caring and thoughtful and she wouldn't be able to stand it. And Nikola. She felt sorry for him. He was devastated and trying everything he could. Eventually she'd have to talk to him but right now she just couldn't bring herself to care. Magnus could feel electricity in the air, the lightning was getting closer. A crackle of electricity behind her made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. A bolt of lightning aimed at her from the sky and flew at its target. At the last second it missed her.

Nikola Tesla stood on the roof behind her, the last person she wanted to see. The remains of the lightning bolt running between his hands and siphoning off into the tower through his body.

"Helen, you could have been killed! You must come inside, that lightning bolt would have hit you!"

She stared at him blankly. 'So what?' he read in her eyes. He refused to look away. "Please come in."

"Nikola. Leave me alone." She turned away.

Rain flattened his spiky hair as he stood on the rooftop and waited for her, a sentinel, watching over her until the storm passed and she was safe again. Relieved when the rain eventually stopped, he valiantly tried again.

"Thank god for that, acid rain wreaks havoc on my complexion."

She ignored him.

"I'm not leaving this rooftop without you, Helen. I'm sorry, a million times I'm sorry but I'm not going to stop trying to find them."

There was no reaction. He tried again.

"The backup generator is on and the Bigfoot chap is making hot chocolate, we should go and get some before the wolfboy drinks it all, I think he's got a serious sugar problem. I'm not going to stop talking until you look at me."

Magnus turned to him and said, not unkindly, "Nikola, shut up and stop pestering me."

Both of her prayers were answered.

Druitt and Ashley materialized in the air in front of her, their arms linked with hands grasping each other so hard nothing would be able to separate them. They landed right on top of Tesla. Dizziness immediately overtook the both of them and as they collapsed Ashley caught a glimpse of her mother staring at them openmouthed.

"Less… nerrd….tht…..gen," murmured Ashley before losing consciousness. Druitt managed to look Magnus in the eye and confirm to himself they had made it before blacking out.

An outraged, "Gerrof me," could be heard from under the two unconscious teleporters. Tesla extricated himself from the bundle of arms and legs which had landed on him and stared at his assailants in disbelief. Not missing a trick he said, "See Helen, I told you I'd find them."

* * *

Ashley woke up in the Sanctuary infirmary with the infernal, eternal headache. She propped herself up with one arm and looked at her mother asleep in the chair at her bedside, she had never appeared more beautiful. Tears slid down her cheeks, she was home.

Examining her situation she found herself to be plugged into several machines all monitoring her. She pulled off some electrodes stuck to her head and something started beeping furiously. Magnus woke suddenly at the noise to see Ashley frantically trying to get the machine next to her to shut up. She reached over and pressed a button, the noise ceased. They looked at each other with matching smiles.

"Hi," said Ashley softly.

"Hi."

"Is this real or am I dreaming?"

"It's real."

Magnus reached over and brushed Ashley's hair off her cheek. In a heartbeat Ashley threw herself into her mother's arms and there they stayed, not moving or speaking for as long as they needed. Magnus and Ashley sat curled up together quietly, arms wrapped around each other. Ashley might find her mother hard to talk to sometimes but then there were other times when she didn't need to talk to be understood.

* * *

Tesla, Henry, Will and Bigfoot stood outside the intensive care/containment unit, surrounding Druitt's bed.

"I'm just saying, if there was ever a time to get rid of him now would be it," said Tesla in low tones as though worried Magnus, or indeed Druitt, would hear him.

"He just saved Ashley, we're not going to repay him by killing him," said Will.

"He's a lunatic! That's why we're here you know. I know Helen wanted some time alone with Ashley but lets be honest, we're on guard duty. Only a complete maniac would tear themselves into a million tiny pieces and throw themselves across the universe."

Bigfoot growled menacingly.

"All right, I'm just saying keep all options open, that is all."

* * *

"I've planned this," Ashley declared happily from her mother's arms. "I'm going to have the longest, hottest bubble bath in the history of the world and then stuff my face until I'm sick." She looked around remembering something. "Where's Dad?" she asked.

'Dad?' thought Magnus. 'When did that happen?' Then out loud. "He's in the intensive care unit."

"What? Why?" Ashley tried to jump up out of bed but got entangled in tubes, wires and blankets. She sat back down and she and Magnus untangled her while she calmed down.

"He's still unconscious from the teleport, but he's all right, I think. Two, such huge teleports in a relatively short space of time really wiped him out. He's stable for now."

"He saved me."

"He did," she acknowledged. Ashley stared at her mother intently.

"I want to help him, fix him. He's not mad, just broken."

"Ashley."

"I think we should try treating him with my blood."

"Ashley!"

"What?"

"Calm down." She did a double take, "What do you mean treat him with your blood?" she asked, stunned at the suggestion.

"Yours doesn't work anymore. It's like its hit a ceiling and can't do any more. My blood might be more balanced with, um…" Magnus raised an eyebrow, what was going on here?

"A, uh, mixture, you know like genetically mixed or something…" she trailed off confusing herself, trying not to mention her teleporting without explaining the gory details. "Mom, you don't get it. He's been alone for all this time, he needs us or he'll be lost."

"I know."

"We've gotta… What?"

"I know Ashley. I do 'get' it." Ashley stared at her mother, hopefully.

"We will help him. If he'll let us, that is," said Magnus. "I wouldn't hold your breath," she said under her breath.

Ashley grinned and sat back in bed. "When can I go and see him?"

"I want to be sure you're all right and completely checked over before you go running all over the place. And then, we've got a lot to talk about."

"We do? Like what? Did I say something when I was unconscious?"

"No," said Magnus slightly puzzled. "I just meant about where you've been and what's happened?"

"Oh." She looked at her Mom, dying to tell her everything, but unable to bear the thought of how disappointed she'd be. Magnus waited for her to say something but all she got was:

"Can I see Henry now?"


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Henry and Bigfoot sat on the end of Ashley's bed, filling her in on all the news and gossip as Tesla and Will watched over Druitt. She heard all about the events she had missed in the past six months, Tesla's machine and the disaster that followed. They noticed she didn't say much about where she'd been.

"What was it like in the future?" asked Henry. "Were there ray guns and spaceships?"

"It was brilliant Henry, the Martians were awesome."

"Martians? Real Martians!?" said Henry, getting excited. Then he saw the smirk on her face. "Oh, you're kidding," he sounded disappointed.

"Yeah, sorry. It was crap. They didn't have pizza or anything. I'm never going there again. You'd have hated it, there was no wifi." She randomly switched her train of thought. "And what the hell does 'in situ' mean anyway? That reminds me Mom, I need Latin lessons," she called over to her mother. She turned back to Henry and Bigfoot.

"How did you know I was in the future?"

"Druitt," said Bigfoot. "He figured it out." She smiled at the thought of her rescuer.

"What's up with the potato peeler?" asked Henry, pointing to the knife Ashley had made to defend herself in the future. It lay on a chair with the pile of frankly stinking, ratty clothes she had been wearing. She was now showered and dressed in her own clothes.

"And what is that smell? Did you roll in something? Maybe for camouflage?" he kidded, "Or made your clothes out of dead animals?"

"The knife's for peeling vampires and yes all right you can laugh, you'd stink too if you'd been there. The showers were out of order ok. And who are you to lecture me on hygiene? I've seen you lick your…" Thankfully she was interrupted from a full blown argument with Henry by closing her eyes and sneezing. When she opened them again everyone was staring at her.

"What? It was just a sneeze it's not like I have future plague or anything. Do I?" She looked wide eyed at her mother who was reading medical charts on the other side of the room.

"Does she?" reiterated Henry, slightly worried.

"No, of course not. You two are impossible." She walked over to them from the monitor with a clipboard.

"All your test results are normal. There's no sign of any cabal drug left in your system or in your cellular makeup."

"I could have told you that. Can I get up now?"

"You can go and see your father for now but then you must rest. There has been a substantial physical toll on you Ashley. You're underweight, undernourished and need rest and recuperation. It will take a while before your back to normal."

"I'll get rid of these rags," said Bigfoot. "I think I'll burn them, where are the biohazard suits?"

"Ha, ha," said Ashley sarcastically.

* * *

Magnus, Henry and Bigfoot escorted Ashley to the ICU to see Druitt. It was like no one wanted her out of their sights for even a second. She raised an eyebrow at the containment unit they had him in despite the fact he wasn't currently able to swat a fly, let alone go 'ripper' on them

"It's just a precaution," said her mother catching the look. Ashley went into the clear flexi-glass unit with her mother and the rest remained outside. Druitt looked pale and ill lying there with restraints on his wrists and ankles. Ashley took his hand.

"Could you give him some of my blood now? It might help him."

"I can't treat him without his permission."

"I really think it would be best if you treated him before he woke up," said Ashley. "He might not be so cooperative if he's awake. It's worse after teleporting. "

"What's worse?"

"The thing." Deep in thought, Ashley stared at her father.

"Mom, the future was awful. Everyone was dead. You were dead. There were no humans only vampires everywhere," her voice wavered. She stopped and took a moment. "I have never been so happy to see anyone in my whole life. He saved me. He stood in front of an army of vampires and stared them down into silence. They just stopped!" She shook her head, still in disbelief. "He was incredible, fearless. I just want to help him."

Magnus realized Ashley was not going to let this go. Whatever had happened in the future and no matter how she felt about it, Ashley and her father had formed a bond. A natural, rightful bond which she had no legitimate reason to interfere with.

"We can't just inject him once and that'll be it," said Magnus. "It will take many tests, multiple stages of treatment and it might not even be successful. We don't know what would happen, it might make things worse."

"What can be worse than losing yourself?" said Ashley quietly, almost to herself. Then she looked at her mother.

"If it were easy then it wouldn't be worth doing."

She walked out and left Magnus to her thoughts.

"Welcome home kiddo," said Will as Ashley walked over and hugged him.

"Thanks," she smiled at him. "Glad to see you managed to keep the place in one piece while I was away."

"Ha yeah," he laughed awkwardly. "You haven't been down to the main lab yet have you?"

Magnus called Will over. He excused himself and went to speak to Magnus in the containment unit. Ashley sought out Tesla who was for once staying quietly out of the way.

"I don't believe we've been introduced," he said, standing as she approached and smiling at her.

"I know who you are," she said. "Remember? We met in Rome when you tried to kill my mom and turn her into a vampire."

"Ah yes. Unfortunately I was distracted by a crazed madman's fist through my abdomen otherwise I would have presented myself better. Don't forget, we also met in London when you were rampaging through the Sanctuary building."

'Touché' said his smile.

"_Anyway,_" emphasized Ashley, moving swiftly on. "I wanted to say, thankyou," she said sincerely. "I heard what you did and I appreciate all you've done to help me and some of the many reasons you had for doing it."

"You're quite welcome," he managed to say graciously.

Ashley nodded and turned to walk away. She hesitated and then looked back staring straight into Tesla's eyes.

"I saw what you intend to achieve in the future. I saw what you did to the world and the people in it." Tesla stared back unflinching as she warned him. "Don't do it. If you attempt to make just one vampire. Or say for example an army of vampires. I _will_ rip your head off."

Tesla smirked. "Rip? An unfortunate turn of phrase don't you think? You really _are_ your father's daughter. Tell me my dear, how many different ways do you know to kill a vampire?"

"How many do I need?" He nodded and shrugged, there was no comeback to that.

She looked at him lost in thought. How could this man who had done so much to help his friends, destroy the world?

"Why would you want to make mindless vampire drones anyway?" she genuinely couldn't understand. "For company?" He didn't answer. "Why don't you hang out with these guys?" she asked pointing over her shoulder, indicating to her parents. "You're practically family anyway."

"John hates me."

"He hates everyone."

"Your mother likes me."

"There's no accounting for taste," she smirked.

"True, I _am_ an acquired taste. Wait, did you say I'm family?"

"Yes. You're one of the five. I don't like the vampire thing and you're a bit weird but yeah."

Tesla looked pleasantly stunned and for once was lost for words. He gave her a genuine, quite shy smile and she returned it. Ashley left him to think over the situation he hadn't realized he had found himself in.

Ashley felt quite pleased with herself. She'd made him an offer, an offer which could only have come from the heart. Perhaps there was hope for her salvation yet.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Ashley and Magnus were deep in discussion when Tesla strolled in to Magnus's study. Magnus was perched on her desk and Ashley lolled in the chair in front of it. Over the past few days as Tesla worked to restore power, communication systems and security systems to the Sanctuary he and Ashley had built up what Magnus considered to be an interesting rapport, one which would infuriate Druitt if he were awake to see it. Perhaps another reason to scarper before Druitt woke up, that and the empty wine cellar. Instead of putting up with Tesla's barbed comments which invariably everyone but Druitt did, Ashley would throw them right back and to Magnus' amazement he put up with it.

"Ladies, as heartbreaking as it is I am afraid I must return to the sunny hole in which you found me. Some things are best not long left unattended," he said mysteriously. "My work here is done. I threw John to the end of the universe unfortunately he came back again but there's always next time." He cast a glance at Magnus wondering if it were too soon to joke about. Then wondered where the strange consideration for other people's feelings had come from.

Ashley looked over at him from the chair she was draped over with an air of a cat about to play with a mouse. Tesla noticed her staring at him. "What?" he demanded suspiciously.

"I always expect vampires to be taller," she said deliberately baiting him.

"You don't think a lot of vampires do you?"

"Hmmm no."

His eyes narrowed he ignored the affront and turned back to Magnus. "That small matter of the hole in the lab, send me the bill."

Magnus walked over to him and rested her hands on his shoulders as she said affectionately, "Nikola, you are an incorrigible pain in the arse."

"But you love me for it and wouldn't have me any other way?" He finished her sentence for her. Magnus hugged him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thankyou," she said sincerely. "Don't be a stranger Nikola and watch those hands."

He looked genuinely happy to be appreciated and thanked. It didn't happen very often. "Tell sleeping beauty when he bothers to wake up, _I_ was magnificent and he's welcome." He winked at Ashley and strolled out the door again.

"Hey Nikola," called Ashley. Tesla paused in the doorway. "How many vampires does it take to screw in a lightbulb?"

"I don't know," said Tesla rolling his eyes. "How many vampires does it take to screw in a lightbulb?"

"One. To hold the lightbulb while the whole world revolves around him." She smothered a laugh at the indignant look on his face.

"It's just as well I refuse to lower myself to your standards or I would have an embarrassingly superior and infinitely witty retort." He stuck his chin in the air in mock indignation as he walked away. "See you around mini-Magnus," he called back through the door.

"You can forget that nickname straight away," she shouted down the hallway after him. Without looking back he raised a hand over his shoulder and waved backwards.

"Is he always like that?" she asked.

"Unfailingly yes," declared her mother.

It was five days after Ashley and Druitt had teleported back to the Sanctuary. Four days since Ashley had awoken and two days after Magnus had been persuaded to begin treatment on the unconscious Druitt.

All of Ashley's focus was on her father for the time being. She deflected questions and refused to talk about her trip to the future apart from the now standard answers. "It was crap" or "I just want to forget about it." She had been stunned and saddened to learn of James Watson's death, but her mother had been equally as cagey about sharing the news from the other sanctuaries, the state of the cabal and no one had dared bring up the name Dana Whitcomb. Just as they were getting back to the relatively safe subject of the initial treatment results from Druitt, Will came running into the study.

"He's awake! Druitt's awake and he is not happy. You've got to get down there and..." They were already gone and running down to the ICU. Will caught his breath and then followed them.

* * *

"Where the hell is she?!" came an almighty roar from the ICU as they sped around the corner. Bigfoot flew backwards out of the room sliding along the ground on his back. They stopped to help him up. Henry came running out after him.

"He asked where Ashley was as soon as he woke up. He didn't believe us and I don't think he liked being tied up. I'm not going back in there."

Ashley looked at the door with trepidation. "It's all right. I'll go."

She walked through the door, Magnus right beside her with her gun drawn. Druitt had ripped out from three of his four restraints, only one held him to the bed by his wrist. The reinforced containment flexi-glass door was open where Bigfoot must have gone in to see him and had received a kick straight back out again and through the outer door to the hallway.

"Hey," said Ashley nervously.

Druitt looked at her in a fuming silence a million things thundering furiously through his head as he began to calm down.

"Are you all right?" he asked, his eyes dark almost daring her not to be.

"Yeah. Are you?" she asked back already knowing the answer.

He sat back down perched on the side of the bed. "I am now."

He scowled at Magnus who hadn't yet put away her gun. "Why am I tied up like a bloody chicken?" He demanded of her.

"Just in case you woke up in a bad mood," she said demurely. She nodded to Ashley who went to release his final restraint.

"How do you feel?" Ashley asked, looking intently at him as she untied him.

"Like an elephant is kicking me in the head," he growled. "Why?"

"No reason. Just asking."

"Why?" he repeated in a tone which could have turned a person to stone. Ashley sat down next to him and looked to her mother for help.

"You've been unconscious for five days John. We didn't know what affect such a huge teleport would have on you. We… I injected a new blood sample in you to try and combat the effects of the teleport."

"Did it work?"

"Well you haven't killed anyone yet. That's always promising but there's still time."

He looked from Magnus to Ashley and back to Magnus. What weren't they telling him?

Magnus winced as she thought of what was going to happen next. She knew him far better than Ashley and understood that this next piece of information was going to make him hit the roof.

"It was a sample of Ashley's blood."

Will charged into the room, Bigfoot and Henry beside him with tranquilizer guns. They backed right out again as they heard the shouting. They weren't needed for now. It had turned into a domestic dispute.

Ashley stood between her parents as they shouted at each other, one hand on Druitt's chest holding him back and one holding Magnus by the wrist pointing her arm up in the air as a precaution. She still held the gun in it.

"Don't you bloody well shout at me John Druitt. It certainly wasn't my idea," Magnus yelled back at him refusing to allow him his righteous indignation.

"You knew damn well I wouldn't want anything to do with it," he bellowed at her.

"She would have done it herself if I hadn't."

They both looked at Ashley standing in the centre of them with a look of 'wtf?' on her face. They both seemed to come to their senses and took a step back.

"So, this is new," observed Ashley.

She had never seen her mother get angry like this before. It appeared to be as though it was only John Druitt who could wind her up.

They glared at each other.

"You know why you're angry with me Helen? It's because I'm right and you know it. By the way you're welcome for rescuing your daughter."

"I'll be in my study. Ashley, get some rest." She stalked off unable to bear being in the room with him.

"Would it kill you to say thankyou?" he called after her.

"You know what John, it just might."

Ashley looked relieved as she left, she really didn't know how to handle both of them at once.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

A temporary truce was being held in the Sanctuary. Bigfoot, Henry and Will had been tasked with collecting the evacuated residents and returning them home. A mission which took them around the world in some instances, the ab-normals requiring facilities that only other Sanctuaries could provide.

It was merely coincidence that this kept them out of Druitt's way while he recuperated. He was still a bit twitchy after the teleport and the less anyone irritated him the better. The idea of any treatment involving Ashley's blood had been dropped after his reaction to the previous attempt. In Ashley's mind it was only a temporary postponement, she intended to work on him until he agreed. She didn't yet realize this was impossible.

Magnus flicked through the files of her two latest and most important patients. Ashley and Druitt were rigorously tested each day and she had them undertaking strength and stamina building exercises. Slowly but surely they began to recover from the unprecedented trip through time and space and the toll it had taken on them. Looking over the data she had gathered she couldn't help but notice how similar they were in some aspects. Their steady recovery rate, low patience threshold and their desire to be well again were almost equal. Working together in their shared recovery it was almost amusing how comfortable they were in each others presence. She supposed they hadn't really had an opportunity to spend any time together before the Cabal took Ashley. There were no snide comments given in jest or bad jokes like there had been with Tesla, only relaxed calm and even some gentle teasing from both sides.

The psychological aspect of their rehabilitation was a more delicate situation. It was almost as though Ashley and Druitt had switched positions. He seemed calmer and more relaxed with Ashley around and Ashley alternated between relief and happiness at being safely home, offset by a dark cloud which sometimes appeared. A short temper, sharp words, which she shook off quickly enough but was troubling all the same. A strange tension permeated the air, almost like the calm before the storm.

It was because of this worrying undertone Will had been sent with Henry and Bigfoot, leaving Magnus to take care of the Sanctuary. Magnus had overheard a conversation of theirs which had troubled her. The incident had gone something like this:

Ashley was walking through the hallway with a pile of clean laundry in her arms. Will had caught sight of her coming from the laundry room and followed, determined to take this opportunity to try, once again, to get her to open up about what was troubling her. With her arms full it afforded him a safety net, he'd have time to move if she went to hit him. He fell into step beside her as she walked the length of the hallway. Ashley's posture shifted. He was going to try to 'talk' to her again. She ignored him.

"Hi."

"Can't stop Will, got chores to do."

"That's all right, I'm walking this way anyway. How are you feeling?"

"Fine."

"Have you thought about what I said? About if you wanted to talk."

"Yes and the answer is still no."

"You should really talk to someone. It's not good for anyone to bottle up their feelings. Especially when someone's gone though what you have."

She stopped in the middle of the hallway, intent on finally ending this constant pestering. Will carried on walking and talking not realizing she had stopped.

"Will." She smiled. For someone as observant as Will he was remarkably short sighted when it came to Ashley's moods, it was not a pleasant smile. "I seem to remember we had this conversation before, when you first arrived here."

"Uh, yes, I remember."

"I do not share. End of. What part of that do you not understand?"

"Ashley. I just want to help that's all."

"And I appreciate it. Now, go help someone who needs it." She walked off again.

Magnus stood in the open elevator her finger poised to press the button. She froze, listening carefully to the voices as their owners walked along the hall toward her location.

"Ashley, something is clearly bothering you."

She sighed, he still wasn't getting the message. "Will!" She snapped. "If I needed to talk to someone I certainly wouldn't choose you, now leave me alone."

"That's OK. You don't have to talk to me, what about your Mom?"

"For god's sakes Will," she shouted in frustration. "If you mention talking to someone once more, I will crack your damn skull. Do you understand me?!" She dumped the laundry on a table and stormed off before she did him some physical damage.

Magnus pressed the elevator button. If Ashley wouldn't talk, Magnus would have to make her talk. Time was about up for Miss Ashley.

* * *

Magnus found Druitt in one of his favourite haunts, the library. They had managed to be civil in the short times they spent together, usually with Ashley's keen eye on the look out for trouble but this time she found him alone.

"John, do you have a minute?"

"Certainly," he replied putting down the book he was reading. 'Descartes' she noted.

"Where is Ashley?"

"I believe she is talking with the mermaid, something about mermen."

"Good. I want to talk to you about her." He sat up straight, not used to being asked to help from a parental perspective. "She's not talking much about what happened, she's restless and I don't think she's recovering properly. I'm worried about her. What did happen in the future?"

"I don't know, I wasn't there long. Vampires were a bit problematic I think." He said stretching the truth a bit.

"Yes, that's the official line. Has she said anything to you?"

He didn't speak, finding himself in the unusual position of having to choose between Ashley's confidence and a request from Magnus, which normally he would gladly comply with. 'Damn him' thought Magnus, watching as he hesitated. The man was as moveable as a mountain when he chose to be.

"I made her a promise, Helen." He said, by way of an explanation.

"Since when do you keep your promises?" A flash of anger crossed her eyes, reflecting the 127 year old chasm between them. Feeling that was perhaps too low a blow, she turned to leave.

"Maybe I'm still working on the last promise," his deep tones resonated around the library. "Maybe, I'm hanging on to it by a thread and Ashley is that thread. I will not break it."

She turned back to look at him, the expression on her face unreadable. "Ashley asked me how long you'll be staying."

"I hadn't considered it."

"You are welcome to stay, for the time being," said Magnus as way of an apology.

"I think it would be prudent of me to stay awhile and help keep an eye on Ashley," he said hinting darkly at what he could not say aloud.

She nodded, appreciating his meaning.

* * *

Later that day, with everyone absent or otherwise engaged, Magnus had some time to catch up on some of her backlogged work. The Sanctuary was a very peaceful place for the time being and she intended to take advantage of it. She walked into her study engrossed in the file she was reading and put it down on her desk. She turned around to see something she had once dreamt of but, never imagined could become reality.

Ashley and her father were sitting either side of a chessboard, engrossed in a game. Neither looked up.

"Hi Mom," said Ashley. She moved a knight across the board. Druitt frowned.

"I don't think I've ever heard you two so quiet," she couldn't help remarking in wonder. "Who's winning?" she asked.

"No one can be considered to be 'winning' in chess until the king is captured," said Druitt.

Ashley looked over at her mother, pointed to herself and mouthed, 'I am'. Magnus smiled. Druitt looked up from the board to Ashley and then from Ashley to Magnus and back again.

"Who taught you to play chess?" He asked.

"James Watson," Ashley smirked. Druitt shook his head in disgust. This game might prove to be more difficult than he had anticipated.

"How on earth did you manage to sit still long enough to learn?" he asked.

"I'm a fast learner," shot back Ashley. "Who taught you?"

"My father," he looked down at the board and moved a piece. Ashley focused back on the game.

"What was he like?" she asked, staring intently at the move he had just made.

"Who?"

"Your father." Druitt looked surprised at the question. He looked over at Ashley's golden head bent over the board.

Magnus put down the work she was trying to do, unashamedly listening to every word, enjoying the good will between them all while it lasted. They didn't notice they were being watched, too engrossed in the game.

"Hmmph," he said as she picked up a piece and wavered over where to place it. "He was very hard to please." She put it back in the position it had come from. They fell back into silent concentration.

"How long are you staying for?" asked Ashley trying to sound indifferent.

"Until I get kicked out I expect."

A ghost of a smile crossed her face as she concentrated hard on the next move.

Magnus turned back to her work, looking over every now and then at father and daughter lost in quiet concentration, as though she couldn't believe her eyes.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

"Hey, is that my cereal?" asked Henry, coming across Ashley wandering barefoot down the hall, with a bowl of 'Lucky Charms' in her hands.

Mouth full, she said "Mmmphh hmmmggh"

"What? That's my special cereal! Get your own."

"C'mon Henry, I'm allowed one bowl for every time I've been stuck in the future."

"I guess," he looked suspiciously at her, her eyes were very bright.

"Where are you going? Is there a staff meeting? Huh?" she said bounding along beside him. "Can I come?"

"How many bowls of that have you had?"

"I dunno," she admitted, "everything got kind of blurry after the third bowl."

"Oh, great." One thing worse than a bored Ashley was a hyperactive Ashley.

* * *

The Sanctuary team had all been assembled in Magnus' study awaiting their daily orders. Ashley tagged along in the hope of some ab-normal action. Life as one of her mother's patients was getting boring after two weeks and she longed to be back out on the front line. She sat next to Henry, unknowingly tapping her foot as the sugar rush from her breakfast worked through her system. Henry had to keep nudging her to sit still.

Magnus outlined the days tasks. "Will, we've got a meeting with the crime lab in an hour about the so called 'animal attacks' along the river. Henry, there's a shipment coming in at 11am at dock 3. It should have your technology order from Korea. You appear to have ordered enough equipment to last for another decade."

Henry was quick to point out. "To be fair, the entire Sanctuary went into electro-magnetic meltdown and we lost a lot of tech. Plus, you can only get those new plasma energy packs they use in the A.I. research from Asia. It might look pricey but remember what you always say? It's quality not quantity."

"When have you ever heard me say that?" Without waiting for an answer. "Take the van, and Henry, send the bill to Nikola."

Henry scarpered before she could comment any further on the tech list she was reading or the state of her daughter.

Only Druitt and Ashley remained in the study, everyone else had their assigned tasks to attend to. Magnus was turned to her desk looking through some papers.

Ashley muttered quietly. "Only the naughty kids left."

Druitt tried not to smile and failed. He bit his lip to hide it as Magnus turned and looked them both up and down.

Ashley looked hopeful. "Can I have an assignment? I'm ready to go back in the field, patrol, get back in touch with my contacts." Magnus watched with amusement at Ashley trying to give her puppy dog eyes and her sweetest smile.

"All right. A trial run."

"Yes," said Ashley happily to herself. Magnus pulled some photos off her desk and handed them over.

"There's a Spurlock nest in the storm drain by Three Cliffs. They're getting bolder by the day. Assess their threat level and take remedial action."

"Spurlocks?" Ashley looked taken aback. "A nest of Spurlocks? The same kind of Spurlock like that really old one we found washed up on the beach that was dying and still nearly managed to rip out my spine?"

"Yes."

"My god Mom, are you trying to kill me off?"

"Take John with you."

"What!?" came simultaneously from Druitt and Ashley.

"Oh, I see. You're trying to kill us both off," said Ashley.

"There's no way I am letting you go anywhere on your own but, if you think you can't handle being back out in the field, even with backup…"

"No, no, no, I didn't say that, it's all under control. I'll get kitted out. Come on old man," she said, hurrying out of the door before her mother changed her mind.

Druitt stayed back and looked questioningly at Magnus. "Helen?"

"Keep an eye on her. I want to know how she reacts under extreme pressure."

"Extreme pressure? What are you talking about? She should be resting. What are you doing?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about and what to look out for," she said ambiguously. Druitt glowered at her, angry at himself for understanding what it was she asked. "Plus she wants to get back into the swing of things."

"Don't you think Spurlocks are a bit excessive?"

"She's a Magnus. She can handle it." Druitt didn't look at all impressed. Magnus looked him straight in the eye. "And she'll have her father with her."

Despite the fact Druitt knew that was directly intended to appease him, he just scowled and walked out of the study.

* * *

Magnus stopped by the weapons store on her way to meet up with Will. Ashley was there, checking over the weapons. Her personal favourite, the golden gun her mother had given her for her 21st birthday, had been lost to the Cabal so she had to search for an adequate alternative.

"Ashley."

"Hey, has no one been looking after these guns? This one needs some serious oiling," she said, waving an unloaded gun around.

"I'll have to see about getting you another gun like your old one."

"Really? Cool."

"Ashley, I just wanted to say."

"I know, be careful."

"No, well yes but, that's not what I was going to say." Ashley waited. "I love you."

"I love you too Mom," she smiled. "I'll be fine, I promise."

"Keep an eye on your father as well."

She nodded, holstered her gun, grabbed a bag stuffed full of illegal, dangerous, offensive weapons, kissed her mother on the cheek and strolled out toward the garage whistling. Halfway down the hallway she put down her bag, turned around and came back and gave her mother a huge hug, which was gladly returned.

Magnus felt awful knowing she was going to be out of her sight, even for a couple of hours, after everything that had happened. At least John was proving some kind of worth, so far.

* * *

Druitt and Ashley were dropped off by Henry on a deserted stony beach where a horizontal wind blew fiercely off the sea. Druitt did not look happy as the chill wind blew down his neck into his thick coat. He stood with his hands in his pockets looking glum, reduced to babysitting. He was still smarting after the promise Ashley had elicited from him. No treatment = no teleporting. He'd had to sit in that smelly, rattling van with god-awful, so called 'music' blaring. He had refused all offers of weapons and cast a scornful look over the stab vest. He had a knife he had managed all right with over the past hundred odd years and had never had need of anything else.

Ashley, however, was enjoying the freedom and fresh air, as she scoured the beach looking for evidence as to the Spurlocks whereabouts. She followed a narrow rivulet of water up the beach to a pipe sticking out from the cliff. A storm drain. She kicked around the litter which had been washed out of the drain after the last heavy rainfall and unearthed an empty ivory casket, an animals rib cage.

She walked up to the drain and propped it open with a branch of driftwood, then looked back to Druitt.

"Coming? You'll miss all the fun."

He sighed and trudged over to the drain. He couldn't believe his daughter thought crawling through sewers was fun.

They stood inside the entrance to the pipe, letting their eyes adjust to the darkness. Druitt had to duck down, he was slightly too tall to fit comfortably in a storm drain. Water dripped off the slime coating the inside of the pipe and a trickle of water ran through the lowest point of the drain. Ashley pulled her phone out of her jacket pocket and it lit up with a map of the city's sewage system.

"This storm drain leads straight back to the sewers. They must be hidden away back there. You wouldn't want to build a nest in an overflow pipe, especially not in this city, it rains nearly all the time."

"Is there a plan? Or are we to stumble around in the dark until we trip over these creatures?" asked Druitt, letting Ashley take the lead.

"Plan A, locate and assess if capture and relocation is possible. If that fails we move on to Plan B."

"Which is?"

"It usually involves shooting. I call it 'Make it up as you go along.' And then if that fails, fall back to plan C."

"Plan C?"

"Run."

"It's amazing you've survived this long."

"Shhh, we don't want them to know we're coming." She pulled a glow stick out of her bag and snapped it, the tunnel lit up with an eerie red glow, not too bright to destroy their night vision but just enough to help them see. Their footsteps reverberated along the metal pipe telling anyone who might be down there they were coming.

After a few hundred yards of slipping and splashing along the storm drain the hunters eventually arrived at the junction with the sewer. From twenty foot above the floor level they looked down on a sewage pipe trunk distribution area with pipes and tunnels arriving from all directions. A dark, running body of water flowed beneath them and a ledge which could be used as a walkway ran along the far wall. Almost too far to jump to. They exchanged a glance.

"No teleporting," Ashley reminded him. She stepped back, ready to leap over the water.

"No, Ashley wait!" said Druitt, to no avail.

Ashley ran and jumped toward the opposite ledge, and missed. She stood up, waste deep in sewage water. The look on her face indicated pure disgust.

"Don't you ever listen?" asked Druitt, exasperated.

"Eeww, something just floated past me. Urgh."

Druitt smothered a chuckle. "Don't worry, I'm sure the good doctor wouldn't have sent you down here without all of your inoculations up to date."

He jumped out, reaching up and grabbing a pipe running along the roof. He swung on it and with the extra momentum made it onto the ledge on the far side.

"Show off," muttered Ashley. He reached down and took her hand and pulled her onto the ledge. She shuddered with the thought of what was in that water. "Damn Spurlocks are gonna get it."

The dark, damp and all pervading smell were getting on Ashley's nerves and her mood deteriorated further as they wandered around the city sewage system with no sign of their prey.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

_**City Sewers**_

Ashley and Druitt stopped at another pipe junction, a dry one this time and Ashley pulled out her phone.

"Does that thing still work after its swim?" asked Druitt.

"Of course it does. It's waterproof, shockproof and shatterproof. Henry insists on making every bit of field equipment like that. He gets a bit funny when stuff breaks. I don't think the smell is going to come off it though, or off me," she sighed. "We've covered like, twenty percent of the tunnels and no sign of them."

"Have you changed your mind? Do you want to go back?"

"No way, we're not leaving this sewer until we find a spurlock. I'm not going home empty handed."

"Let's try this way," he said, indicating a nice, dry looking tunnel they hadn't yet explored. He was getting a bit fed up of the dank, waterlogged tunnels Ashley had been leading him through.

"Lay on, MacDuff," said Ashley.

He went to correct her; everyone got that quote wrong. "Actually it's, 'Lay on….'" He stopped. "You got it right!" He said in surprise.

"Seriously," she said, "Have you met my mother?" and turned to climb up to the next tunnel. He gave a deep chuckle and followed her.

They scrabbled through the smallest tunnel yet, bent almost double, Druitt cursing as he bumped his head on overhead pipes every now and then.

"How's your head?" asked Ashley.

"I'll live. It's only a few bumps."

"That's not what I meant."

He caught her meaning. "I'm fine, at the moment. You?" He tried to ask casually, daring to mention what she had asked him not to.

"Fine." She said abruptly.

"Good."

"Good."

"Why are _you _asking?" She said, suspicious.

"I am simply interested in your well being."

"Hmm," he was such a bad liar she realised, as the truth dawned on her. "Mom told you to keep an eye on me, didn't she?" His silence spoke volumes. "Huh, just so as you know, she told me to keep an eye on you, too."

"Did she now?"

They started moving down the tunnel again with Ashley finding the darkness a useful cloak to talk under. "How come I can talk to you? It's easy, it just comes out and that's it, no fuss. It's not usually this simple." She muttered to herself, "There's never time, always busy."

"If you asked her, I'm sure she would make the time." Druitt assured her, grasping her thought process.

"Hmmm." She said, non-committal, and did her best impression of changing the subject. "I meant to ask you, why did Nikola disappear so quickly after we got back? What is it with you two?"

Druitt sighed, how best to explain his and Nikola's relationship? "What did you make of him?" he asked curiously.

"He's all right, I like him. I think he's a bit lonely."

Druitt rolled his eyes. "What sob story did he give you?"

"None. I don't trust him, that's for sure, he's a vampire. That doesn't mean I don't like him, he's kinda funny. I think he's a bit like a cat. All nice and purring and friendly, and then for no reason bites you."

"An interesting observation," said Druitt, finding himself slightly relieved at her attitude.

A violent shushing noise came from Ashley who waved at him, making some kind of hand signal. He had no way to decipher its meaning apart from the accompanying noise. He crawled alongside her and peered out into the largest open space they'd come across in the sewer so far. It was the site of the spurlock nest.

Seven adults, four juveniles and a clutch of around two dozen eggs were visible, their tongues darting in and out. Luckily, they all appeared to be sleeping, or they would have heard the noisy search party a long time ago. One adult stirred and stretched. It was about twelve foot long including the length of its tail. Spurlocks were humanoid shaped, scaled lizards with the ability to stand up on their two back legs. On their backs they'd evolved an impenetrable hard shell of tightly packed scales. That and their razor sharp claws, needle pointed teeth and ferocious nature made them a notoriously hard target, making spurlock hides invaluable on the black market.

Ashley assessed the situation ahead of her. There were rather a lot of them and she knew their dangerous reputation to be fact, from first hand experience. They were nesting as well which would only add to the aggression. On the other hand these creatures had been killing animals, people's pets, and those animal attacks along the river were more than likely related to the spurlocks. They were feeding their young. She should leave well enough alone and make this mission reconnaissance only.

Druitt watched her as her mind worked quickly. He didn't particularly care what the plan was, he just appreciated the opportunity to be with Ashley. Even in a sewer.

She turned and saw him watching her, patiently waiting for her instructions. Her mother would never do this, she thought. If she were here she'd have taken over and be running the show. She leaned over and whispered.

"Knock 'em out, tie 'em up, wait for the removal team." He nodded. She reached into her backpack, searching for a gas grenade.

A lone, alert spurlock, guarding the nest while the others slept, climbed silently up the wall beneath the perch they sat on. It had sensed their movements through its flickering tongue. As Ashley looked into her backpack it took the chance to attack these strange creatures who were intruding too close to its nest than it was comfortable with. The spurlock charged headfirst into the tunnel slashing wildly with its talons.

Druitt reacted instantly, kicking it in the head as it lunged at Ashley, knocking it off balance. Ashley instinctively pulled out her gun, firing straight at its head. The gunshots rang out bouncing off the walls and the noise echoed out of the enclosed space alerting every living creature in the vicinity. The bullets barely grazed the creatures toughened scales, even at point blank range but the shock of the retaliation caused the spurlock to rake its claws along the nearest thing it could reach, tearing into Druitt's leg, as it fell back out of the tunnel and down into the nest below.

Ashley peered after it, firing a clip indiscriminately into the nest. It hissed warning to the others who had turned their backs to the raining bullets, protecting the eggs and young. The bullets bounced off their tough shells, ricocheting against the walls.

"Crap, they're bullet proof."

The hissing got louder as more spurlocks appeared from adjoining tunnels. They all stood stock still, hissing fury, with hypnotic eyes fixed on the enemy, waiting for them to make a move.

Ashley froze. "Don't move." She said out of the side of her mouth, to Druitt who was back in the tunnel behind her. "As soon as we move, they're gonna come."

"Straight to plan C?" asked Druitt.

"How's your leg? Can you run?"

"Yes," he said, answering the second question, omitting the first.

"Plan C it is then. Ready?" She pulled a grenade out of her backpack and pulled out the pin.

"What? Ashley, no!"

It rolled off her palm like a cheese rolling down an English hillside, flicked off the tips of her fingers and landed delicately in the centre of the pit of seething lizards.

"Run."

They turned and scrabbled out of the tunnel followed shortly by a shockwave of dust, air and smoke. Ears ringing, Druitt staggered after Ashley as she led him in the opposite direction to the nest. They ran in the darkness, splashing through obstacles and clambering over pipes as they tried to put as much space between them and the spurlocks as possible. Eventually, Ashley ducked into a small side tunnel and grabbed Druitt's coat tails and dragged him in after her.

They sat opposite sides of the tunnel staring wild eyed at each other, trying to catch their breath. Druitt winced as he straightened his injured leg carefully along the ground. There was a time when he would have enjoyed this caper, even would have considered it highly amusing. He wondered when that had all changed.

"What does 'remedial action' and a grenade have in common?" He whispered severely. "Apart from a few vowels, that is? I can't believe you threw a bloody grenade in an enclosed space. What if there had been gas pipes down there? That was reckless!"

"You sound just like Mom. It was going to tear your leg off and bullets didn't work! And you're welcome." She reached into her jacket and pulled out her phone.

"Does your mother know you carry grenades around?"

She ignored him, studying the map. "We're not far from the river. There's a tunnel a hundred yards away which leads to an overflow for the river. We can get out."

"Ashley, do you have selective hearing?"

"This is stupid we don't have time to argue, it's done now." She rambled on, "I'm in, what could easily be substituted for a dark alleyway, with Jack the Ripper and he's lecturing me on explosives! I don't believe it!"

Druitt lunged over and grabbed her, wrapping his arm around her neck and putting his hand over her mouth. Ashley tensed, uncertain what was happening. Maybe she'd gone too far and pissed him off. Oh crap. She _was _in a tunnel with Jack the Ripper after all.

A spurlock hurried past the entrance to the side tunnel they were in making an odd wheezing noise. It was closely followed by two others. Ashley relaxed in relief. He wasn't going to slice her neck open after all, he was only shutting her up. Druitt released her once the spurlocks had passed.

"Thanks," she murmured. "Let's get out of here."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Henry pulled up in the van at the turning to the driveway. The back of the vehicle was packed with boxes of computer equipment and technology only he knew what to do with. He hopped out at the sight of Magnus and Will at the gate trying to get in.

Magnus looked relieved to see him. "Henry, thank god, we're locked out. There's a maximum security lockdown. All external systems are down."

"There's no answer from inside the building," said Will, hanging up his phone.

"What's going on?" asked Henry, a little anxious at the agitation radiating from the unflappable Magnus.

"Ashley's not answering her phone either. Henry, your security system may be a little too effective," said Magnus. "Can you get us in?"

"Never fear, The Foss is here," declared Henry. "We'll have to go in the old fashioned way is all." He ripped off the cover to the security panel. "I _am _good," he said, admiring his workmanship, and pulled out a handful of wires. "I can't override the security programme from this panel. It's all controlled by the main server now. But, I can do this." He glanced at Magnus. "I swear Ashley taught me to do this, I would never usually know how to hotwire anything."

He ripped out two wires and stuck them together. A huge bang and a puff of smoke later and he shot backwards, flying through the air as an electric current ran through him. Will and Magnus rushed over to him. No one noticed that the power had been cut to the gate.

"Are you alright?" asked Will.

He sat up, dazed. "I'm never listening to that girl again."

Magnus quickly checked him over, other than a faint smell of singed fur he seemed unhurt. "Can you tell me what today's date is?" She asked him.

"I'm not sure, I lost track with the zombie movie marathon, which went on for 48 hours and then I had a lot of sugar but that was only to stop Ashley eating my special cereal, she should get her own. Ask me another one," he babbled.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Magnus asked, impatient to get into the Sanctuary, but unwilling to leave Henry until she knew he was all right.

"Five. Four and one thumb to be exact."

She smiled, relieved, and ruffled his hair as though he were still the young boy she had brought home from the moors. "You'll do for now. When we've sorted this mess out I want to see you in the lab for a full check up."

He gave her a smile in agreement. "Sure thing boss."

"Hey, the gate's open," said Will in surprise.

"Of course it is, said Henry struggling to his feet. "I told you we'd get in."

A solid steel shutter denied them access to the main door. Will looked to Magnus, "The lockdown is supposed to keep us safe inside the building, not lock us out, right?"

Magnus walked to a plant pot at the side of the step up to the door. She tipped it over and pulled out a key.

"You're kidding," said Will. "It's that easy?"

Magnus put the key in the small lock at the side of the steel door and turned it. With a click the steel barrier retracted into the wall and the front door lay before them. Henry pulled his front door key out of his pocket and unlocked the front door.

"Simple yet effective," said Will, appreciatively.

"Some people are easily impressed," smirked Henry.

The trio walked inside and stopped, aghast at the sight that met them inside the door. It is said that when the mind sees a terrible thing, the soul stands still. They found this to be true as they stood in horrified silence surveying the scene ahead.

A large pool of blood lay in the centre of the main hallway. It was splattered up the walls, the furniture and even on the ceiling. There was no sign of life, or death. No body, no owner of the blood.

"Should we assume the worst?" Will asked quietly.

Worse case scenario was Druitt.

No one answered him.

Magnus hurriedly tried phoning Ashley again. A distorted ringing noise came from the pool of blood. Henry ran over and picked up a smashed phone, valiantly trying to ring.

Magnus flew into action. "We have to split up. Henry, get to the computer server and get the security systems back in control. Find out if there's anything in the system about what happened here. And Henry, _be careful_." She stressed. "We don't know what's done this. Will, you and I will search the building. Check on the residents as you go and find Bigfoot. Hopefully most were in their quarters when the security lockdown occurred. Henry, are you all right?" she asked. He was looking a little unsteady on his feet.

"Yeah, just a bit woozy, the shock is wearing off I think."

"I'll keep an eye on him," said Will. "Go and find Ashley." Henry frowned at him and resisted as Will took his arm.

"Go," said Magnus, understanding his hesitation. "Don't worry Henry. I can handle John Druitt." Her voice rang with steel. She gave him a nod letting him know it was all right to go.

Will looked worried as he led an unhappy Henry to the security door of the main stairwell and punched in a code. The door opened for them and closed again behind them.

"Dude, what the hell?" asked Henry, turning on him, his eyes blazing.

"We have to get the security systems under control. Face it Henry, she _can_ handle Druitt. We can't, and you're in no fit state for a fight. We're more useful doing this."

* * *

A dark shadow crossed over Magnus' heart as she considered the possibilities ahead.

She followed the trail of blood leading from the front door. It went the length of the hallway to the far end of the building and down the stairs leading underground to the lowest level of the Sanctuary.

She was furious with herself. If anything had happened to Ashley she would never forgive herself. So soon after the worst six months of her life. This time, she wouldn't miss. This time, he wouldn't get away with it. She mentally kicked herself for ever allowing him back into their lives. She had known this day would come and she had still trusted him with Ashley. The son-of-a-bitch. She would hunt him down like the animal he was. It was time to finish this.

Gun drawn and resolve set, she walked purposefully down the stone steps, entering the large underground chamber and on to the old well at the centre of it.


	22. Chapter 22

Thanks for all the incredible reviews. I'm so pleased you like reading it as much as like writing it. I've discovered a new hobby, I love torturing readers. Cliff-hangers are GOOD =D OMG there's only 3 more chapters left!

Warning: this chapter contains blood and guts and violence.

Chapter 22

Druitt and Ashley fell ungraciously out of a sewer overflow pipe onto the river bank.

"I don't see how this day can get any worse," grumbled Ashley, knee deep in silt. She struggled to turn in the thick mud toward the land, only to see three large spurlocks sitting on the bank side watching them with dark, glassy stares.

"Oh, c'mon! This isn't fair," she yelled, thoroughly fed up.

Druitt took hold of her jacket and slowly pulled her out into the river trying not to make any sudden movements. "We're getting out of here."

She shook off his hand. "No teleporting, you promised. You don't just give in when it gets difficult."

He glared at one of the few people in the world with the nerve to test his word. "Where's the entrance to the pool?"

"What pool?" She said, warily watching the spurlocks for any sign of movement.

"In the Sanctuary there's an underwater entrance, is it far from the river?"

"You're a genius!" she sounded delighted. "If we can get into the Sanctuary we can lock down the pool entrance. They won't be able to get in."

"Why exactly is there a pool in the basement?"

"It used to be a well. Mom had it turned into an emergency exit, precisely for situations like this."

"I am certain she could not have predicted this situation."

They swam slowly out into deeper water desperately hoping that spurlocks were dumb beasts and would mistake them for driftwood as they floated downstream. One spurlock uncurled itself and slithered into the water doing a passable imitation of its cousin the crocodile. It friends followed suit and they stalked their prey along the river.

* * *

Chaos introduced itself to the Sanctuary simply, with a single air bubble breaking the calm, flat surface water of the old well. What followed was not so peaceful.

Ashley burst through the barrier between the silent underwater world and into the echoes of the old stone passages, Druitt only a second behind her. Waves splashed over the pool edge, drenching the stone slabs. Ashley hauled herself out of the water and ran over to a control panel embedded in the wall. These were sporadically placed all over the building for these unpredictable occasions. She frantically hammered a code into the keypad. Nothing happened. She tried another code.

"Ashley?"

"Shit. It doesn't work, she's changed the codes." She tried another code and another.

"Ashley, they're coming."

The water had returned to its smooth state but now ripples splashed over the edge of the pool.

"I don't know what the new codes are!"

She tried the final code she knew for a total security lockdown. It still worked. Metal screeched and machinery rumbled into action as the steel doors began to close throughout the Sanctuary, compartmentalizing the building.

All the recently returned residents were locked safely in their quarters and those who were permitted to wander, were sealed into makeshift cells. Bigfoot looked up from where he was chopping carrots in the kitchen, as the door dropped down and locked him in. "Hmmm," he said, and went back to work, unable to do anything about the situation until Henry came and let him out.

"Too late," sounded Druitt's calm, deep voice. "They're in the pool."

"Huh," said Ashley breathlessly, "and I said this day couldn't get any worse."

Three spurlocks surfaced and looked around, only the tops of their heads were visible. A shudder was perceptible through the stone floor as a metal door closed 20 foot below the surface of the water.

"Once again with the running," said Ashley, backing out of the pool area. Druitt followed her lead. "We've a straight run from these stairs to the main entrance. We might have enough time to override the lockdown from there, if Mom hasn't changed those codes as well."

Ashley ran to the front door which was now sealed. She furiously pelted numbers into the keypad to no avail.

"There's gonna be a serious discussion about changing security codes without telling me."

They faced the two spurlocks sauntering into the foyer behind them, there was no sign of the third. Standing with their backs against the wall, trapped, Druitt closed his eyes momentarily, in pain, disbelief and resignation. Teleporting was out of the question, the EM field was running at maximum.

"I've seen this on TV," said Ashley, desperately grasping at straws. "Go for the eyes."

"Remind me never to go on a mission with you again."

She swallowed. "If we're about to die," she began.

"We will not die here."

"But if we were I just want to say, I'm glad I got a chance to... you know."

"I know," he looked over at her. "Me too."

They stood together with no weapons, no escape, no backup and no plan. The spurlocks charged.

* * *

Moments later found Ashley hanging off the back of her chosen spurlock for dear life, her arm wrapped around its neck, having found the only safe place away from its razor sharp claws. It snapped its teeth with a dreadful clicking sound as it tried to turn its head far enough to bite her.

Druitt was on a windowsill jumping out of reach as the spurlock he was under attack from tried to swipe his legs out from under him. It reared up on its hind legs like a bear and stood eye to eye with him.

"Ah."

He mimicked Ashley, jumping down from the window ledge and onto the back of the spurlock. He shouted, "Try to get them to hit each other. Maybe their claws will work on their own kind."

Ashley threw her phone at Druitt's spurlock. It bounced off its nose, making the lizard blink in surprise, and fell to the floor where it was trampled as the spurlock hissed angrily and charged at her. She gritted her teeth and held on tight as her spurlock turned its attention to the alarming charge from its companion. The attacker flung an arm at her head which was peering out over the shoulder of her spurlock. She ducked and it missed, scraping off a claw full of scales from the other lizard which let out a high pitched whistling noise like a screech and bit its attacker, drawing blood.

An eye for an eye, the two lizards exchanged blows, ignoring the two humans hanging on gallantly for their lives. One clamped its jaw around the neck of the other causing Druitt to jump away or have his arm chewed off. Druitt's bitten spurlock ripped its claws into the others exposed underbelly and tore it open causing it to loosen its grip on the others neck and stagger backward. Ashley jumped off her wounded spurlock and she and Druitt backed away while attention was focused away from them.

The two lizards blinded by pain, rage and fury, cultivated by the humans not an hour before, tore into each other, instinctively fighting the opposing beast which was inflicting pain and damage. Druitt's lesser wounded lizard went in for the kill, easily finishing off the spurlock with the gash across its belly. Blood sprayed everywhere, coating the walls, furnishings and weary spectators.

The remaining spurlock with the bite to its neck had been badly wounded. Blood flowed from the gaping bite in its neck and mixed on Magnus' 150 year old Persian rug, with the blood of its brother. It locked its jaw onto the body and began to pull it back through the hall towards the pool, trying to escape with its prize.

Druitt and Ashley gingerly crossed the room, careful not to slip in the slick blood, Ashley staring at the floor in horror. "Mom will freak when she sees this. She'll automatically think the worst. She'll think we've killed each other or something… equally as bad."

"Undoubtedly, she will think that I have done something bad. We don't have the time to worry about that now."

"I'm worried about it now!"

"We need to get out of here. There's another one unaccounted for."

They headed carefully down to the pool.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Magnus entered the underground chamber with her gun poised, ready to fire. She stared with a mixture of dismay, anxiety and relief at the mess she found her family up to their necks in. How did they manage to get into so much trouble? And such dangerous trouble at that? She felt awful in the knowledge she had sent them on such a perilous mission so soon after their ordeal, but she had known they could handle it together. There were some times she wished that their work didn't come home with them so often. Still, at least they weren't fighting each other, thank god for small mercies.

Druitt and Ashley didn't notice Magnus enter the poolside arena. Instead they busily concentrated on preserving their lives.

Henry's voice echoed throughout the chamber from over the intercom.

"Hey, this is security HQ to whoever it may concern."

He was trying to sound inconspicuous, not giving away information to whoever could be listening.

"The place is back in our control, no sign of any intruders in the upper building, a power cable has been sliced up so we don't have any juice to the... ummm... you-know-what. Ah, you know, the security device you like to have running at all times. Oh, and the cameras in the underground section aren't working. Be careful ok?"

The security camera fixed up on the wall hung loosely, wires protruding and sparks crackling. Ashley had tried to use it earlier as a handhold to get off the ground away from the lizards.

Magnus surveyed the room at a loss. If those two, natural born warriors, were struggling, what could she do to help?

Druitt was kneeling with his full weight on the shell of an injured spurlock, as it wriggled fiercely, attempting to escape and right itself in a puddle of what, hopefully, was its own blood. Its sharp claws slashed desperately at Druitt ripping the only part of him it could reach, his long coat, into shreds. Magnus noted his right leg was soaked in blood. She wondered if it was his, or if she should even care. He was stuck there, unable to move to help Ashley for fear of releasing the crazed, injured spurlock.

Ashley was pinned against the wall by the third, previously missing spurlock as it tried to throttle her. Its claws sliced into her neck and shoulders, her arms the only thing stopping it from tearing her head off. It slammed her head against the wall trying to stun its prey.

Magnus raised her gun, instantly shooting at the creature attacking her daughter. To her horror the bullets bounced harmlessly off its tough hide.

It hissed it's displeasure at being shot at in Ashley's face, its tongue flicking her nose. The distraction was all she needed. Ashley lifted her feet off the ground, brought her legs up and kneed the spurlock where she hoped its lungs were, pushing the scaly terror away and slid down the wall onto the floor gasping for breath. Dazed and her vision clouded from the intense attack, she struggled up again, her arms scratched and bleeding and her head ringing from hitting the wall with such force.

The spurlock screamed its frustration at having lost its prey and turned to attack the interloper, Magnus. Her gun clicked hopelessly, empty.

"No!" screamed Ashley, as the spurlock advanced on Magnus. Her worst nightmare was unfolding before her eyes.

Ashley had conquered many fears over the past few months, including the deep seated fear of her father, and although sometimes he still scared her, she would die rather than admit it to anyone. Many other fears still remained, demons hounded her which were harder to vanquish. Despite Magnus' unique longevity, losing her mother was Ashley's ultimate nightmare, something she had received a taster of in the future and didn't want to face ever again.

Rage exploded inside her mind, adrenaline coursed through her body and something was released, something which had been hiding, buried deep within her. She saw only red. Not the red of the vampire but of something much darker. Her thundering heartbeat thudded relentlessly through her head. It was all she could hear, her actions moved in time with it, a heart beat, a drum beat, a war dance, a dance of death.

'Kill it,' a voice whispered.

Ashley's body disintegrated into the smallest components of the universe, with only her will power guiding her to her destination. She teleported across the room, rematerializing in the air above the spurlock. She dropped on it from above, the force of her unexpected attack catching it off guard.

Druitt growled, incensed with anger at the sight of Magnus being attacked. He pushed himself up off the lizard he was pinning down and teleported in the same instant Ashley did. He reappeared next to Magnus, pushing her out of harms way.

The full body blow from Ashley landing directly on the spurlock caused it to lose balance and it fell backward onto its shell, wriggling like a cockroach unable to right itself. Ashley held on as it fell and pounced on its throat, hands firm and arms locked as it struggled. She ignored the flailing talons and the mighty swish of its heavy tail and pulled out an evil looking knife which had been concealed in her sleeve, the same knife she had made in the hellhole of the future. Without hesitation she stabbed the spurlock on the softest part of its body, it's exposed, indefensible, red splattered white underbelly and slit the lizard from gullet to gizzard.

She gutted it.

The lizard writhed beneath her in the throes of death. She dragged herself off it and knelt on the floor alongside, breathing deeply, gasping for breath and for control. Her heartbeat furiously hammering, it deafened her. There was another spurlock. She should kill it. Rip its life out of its body before it hurt any more of her people.

Instead she stayed on her knees, steadying her breathing, transfixed by her red hands.

Magnus didn't notice she was safe in Druitt's arms and he in return, didn't notice he once more held the love of his life in his arms for the first time in over a century. They stared at their daughter in silence.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

After the 'incident' at the pool area, Druitt and Magnus had been brought back to their senses by the last remaining live spurlock, which valiantly attempted to attack them despite its injuries. With the EM field down, Magnus directed Druitt to teleport it to the high security cell, 'the boot', where it was unceremoniously dumped on the floor as he teleported back to the pool as quickly as possible.

Ashley remained in a daze, not seeing anything as she was led to the makeshift medical lab, Magnus' main lab having not yet recovered from Tesla's machinations. She sat there, unseeing and unresponsive as her mother dressed her wounds and checked her over for physical injuries. Druitt paced around the lab like an expectant father waiting for his child to be born and had to be ordered out of the room. When she had finished Magnus cupped Ashley's face in her hands and forced her to look at her.

"Ashley, look at me," but she turned her head away, forcing it from her mothers hold.

At least she was responding, thought Magnus, relieved.

"Are you all right? Of course you're not all right, that was a stupid thing to ask."

"I'm tired, it's been a long day," murmured Ashley.

Magnus paused, some things she was so certain of, they were infallible, Ashley was one of them. Some other things, there was never a right time to broach.

"Thank you, for saving me."

That got her attention. Ashley looked at her mother. Searching her eyes for her thoughts. Magnus had become incredibly adept at hiding her feelings and thoughts from the world. Perhaps too well. They were harder to come by when other people needed them.

"Why didn't you tell me about him?" The tides turned and suddenly Magnus was the one under observation. "The truth about my father. How much you really loved him? What really happened, and about the Five and all you did with them."

"Why didn't you tell me you could teleport?"

"I haven't known about it for 125 years and not told you."

Ashley's frustration teetered on a knife edge. All of her life there had been something about herself she didn't understand, couldn't comprehend and had to struggle with, unknowing. Her mother had known all along, could have helped her, prepared her for the inevitable, and hadn't. They stared at each other, each with so much to say.

"I need a shower," said Ashley, abruptly.

"You're not going to try and ignore this?" asked Magnus.

"Why not." It wasn't a question. "You do."

She got up and stumbled out of the room, opening the door and ignoring a confused looking Druitt.

"Is she all right? What happened?" he demanded.

Magnus looked at him, for once at a loss for words.

"What the hell is going on? Why aren't you talking to her about it?"

Magnus sighed. "Sit down and let me look at that leg."

"You can't just let her go, she needs to talk about what's happened!"

"John, sit down," she ordered him in no uncertain terms.

"_This_ is what she meant," his final sentence was said to himself, as he came to understand some of Ashley's past comments.

"You may not yet realise it, John, but if Ashley doesn't want to do something, nothing can force her. She will talk when she is ready," she told him.

He didn't believe her.

* * *

Ashley took off her motorcycle helmet and let the wind whip her hair around, enjoying the illusion of freedom. She'd had to get out into the fresh air, the Sanctuary stank of dead animal and she was certain she did as well, despite three showers.

She pulled an energy drink out of her backpack and stood at the end of what was left of the old bridge and surveyed the new city on the other side of the river. The modern skyscrapers were a curious mix of silhouette and bright lights against the skyline. If only they knew what the future was going to bring to them, she thought, and what that skyline would look like in 100 years time.

She turned to look at the old city side of the river. Smaller, darker, older buildings. Still standing after 150 years, and in the distance she could just see the top of the Sanctuary. She stared into the water lost in thought.

"Please tell me you're not going to drink that," a deep voice said from the darkness.

Ashley turned quickly, caught off guard to see her father step out from the shadows of the old bridge supports.

"It's blue," he observed in disgust referring to the drink she held.

"What are you doing here?" She asked him suspiciously.

Druitt held his hands up in a peaceful gesture.

"I was just out for a stroll," he said, walking over to the edge of the road where she stood.

He must have teleported onto the bridge. It was the only way she wouldn't have noticed his arrival. The wind on the bridge would have hidden the sound of his teleport. Or had she been distracted?

"What's going on?" Ashley asked him. "Why are you watching me?" Referring not only to the events of the day, but also to his presence now. "Doesn't she trust me? Does she think I'm gonna vamp out on everyone again?"

"No."

"Then what?"

Druitt turned and looked his daughter directly in the eye. He knew. She looked away unable to meet his gaze. Ashamed. They stood in silence on the end of the bridge, the wind howling around them and the water chopping away in the gloomy river.

"Do you think she knows the truth?"

"She knows something is amiss."

"She's my mom. She knows," Ashley said bitterly. "I bet she's been expecting this day. Waiting for it to come. Watching me. Every time I got in a fight or got angry. Dreading it."

"She can help you."

"Like you let her help you? Like you accept my blood to help you? Like you just teleported onto the bridge when you promised not to?" Ashley glowered, reflecting his favourite facial expression back at him. "I don't need anyone's help and I am nothing like you," she shouted, and teleported, leaving Druitt alone on the bridge with her motorcycle.

"That probably could have gone better," he seemed to be going backwards in progress where Ashley was concerned.

He shook his head trying to brush off the roar in his mind. He wasn't sure if it came from the wind or the teleport onto the bridge. Why couldn't he just remain in the happier moments of his life? Why did he always find himself where it always went wrong? He thought back to where it had begun in the real world, back from the future.

* * *

**_Flashback_**

Ashley and Druitt sat in the broken intensive care containment unit, unsure of what to say to each other. Magnus had just stormed off, unable to trust herself with a gun around Druitt after rowing about Magnus' compliance in the treatment of Druitt with Ashley's blood.

"I just wanted to help you," said Ashley, breaking the silence.

Druitt tried to control his temper. It seemed to be easier with Ashley around, unless of course someone was threatening her, then all bets for control were off.

"Promise me you won't ever do that again," said Druitt.

"What? While you're unconscious?"

"Ever."

She stared at him in despair, how else could she help him unless he accepted treatment?

"Fine," she said.

He looked over at her in surprise, that had been too easy.

"Only if you promise not to teleport."

"I beg your pardon," the tone of his voice ringing a clear warning to anyone wise enough to listen.

"I'll promise not to force my blood on you, if you promise not to teleport. That way you won't get any better, but you can't get any worse either."

"I have been teleporting across three centuries and around the world long before you were a twinkle in your father's eye," his voice resonated around the room.

"That's bordering on too much information and, look how well all that teleporting turned out. Please? Try it. It can't do any harm."

Druitt sighed, exasperated. How was he supposed to turn her down. He tried desperately to find a way to wriggle out of it.

"Why should I?"

She looked puzzled. "Because I'm asking you to." Seeing he was struggling she decided to attack from another side. "Are you hungry?"

He was caught off guard by her sudden change of tack.

"No."

She hopped off the bed.

"C'mon let's go to the kitchen. Even if you're not hungry, I always am."

His eyes narrowed, she was up to something.

"We'll walk. We might meet someone interesting on the way."

He laughed as he grasped her meaning.

"That's it? That's your argument? We may meet someone interesting on the way?" The idea genuinely tickled him and he let out a good hearted laugh at the simple reason.

"Don't laugh, I'm serious," said Ashley, mildly annoyed. He looked at her in amazement, such a simple yet naive answer.

"If you could have mentioned that 125 years ago it could have saved us all a lot of trouble." He jumped down off the bed.

"Is that a yes?"

"How could I refuse."

"We might meet someone interesting on the way," he repeated to himself as he followed Ashley out of the door, maybe he was a bit hungry after all.

* * *

Druitt sighed as he looked at the bike, he would have to ride it back to the Sanctuary. On the other hand if he left it there Helen could send Foss to fetch it. Maybe Ashley would return for it, even though she didn't need it anymore.

It was Ashley's, he wouldn't leave it.

To his vast relief it wouldn't start. A sly thought sneaked into his mind, he wondered if he could teleport it instead, even though he'd never teleported large objects before. No time like the present to try, it's not like he had anything better to do. It couldn't hurt any more than Ashley's rediscovered anger toward him.

He sat on the bike and frowned in concentration, pleasantly surprising himself as he successfully teleported to the front gate of the Sanctuary. With a deep chuckle, edged with a hint of darkness, he casually let himself in, knowing Magnus would kill to know how he got onto the property each time. She had never given him any codes or a key.

He wheeled the bike along the driveway and down into the garage where Bigfoot was rinsing out a bucket of bloody water in the wash bay.

"Where's Ashley?" he growled.

"_That_ is a very good question," interrupted Magnus, having just arrived in the garage after witnessing his flamboyant entrance on the security monitor.

"Where _is_ Ashley?"

"No idea," he said, almost flippantly. "She left her bike on the bridge, it won't start."

"She would ring for a pick up if it broke down and she hasn't. She wouldn't just leave it there unless she's in trouble."

"She's not in trouble," he assured her. "We had a minor disagreement and she… left." He had been about to say teleported.

"What kind of a disagreement?"

"The complicated kind. What other kind is there?"

"Come to my study. We need to talk."

"It's about time," said Druitt, his eyes flashing, time to get everything out in the open.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Magnus and Druitt walked into Magnus' study, prepared for confrontation. Druitt was raring for a fight, his mind buzzing after the teleport. As they entered the room a lone monitor solely reserved for high security alerts, flickered to life. Any opening of 'the Boot', unauthorised or otherwise, triggered the security cameras. The showdown was interrupted by the view on the screen in front of them, as Ashley knelt down in front of the captured spurlock.

"If I were you I don't know who I'd be more scared of."

The spurlock looked feebly at its captor, it couldn't understand what was happening. Its species didn't take captives, they just ate their enemies. The fact the girl seemed to be talking to someone else somehow made it worse, there was no one else there.

"I was wondering if it would be possible to teleport just your head."

She leaned forward, tilting her head to the side and looking on curiously as she brought her hands out a foot from either side of its head. The spurlock flinched with fear. This was the creature which had attacked its nest, killed its brother and was now towering over it.

Magnus moved to the intercom to call Ashley to try and stop her but Druitt intervened. "This is it," he said. "This is where she makes her choice, to give in or take control."

Ashley hesitated. Did she want to kill this creature? The rage had subsided, the fresh air had cleared her head. Or had her head cleared itself, healed itself? It faded away after a while, the pain, the rush. She looked at the poor creature sadly huddled on the floor.

"I was having a good day until I met you. I'm home, I'm alive, I've had a bath, and then you had to go and attack my mom." They looked into each others eyes, the so called window to the soul. "You were probably having a good day too," she sighed. "I get it," she said to the lizard. "Protecting your family _is_ something, we both know that."

Sensing her hesitation the spurlock made a sound, not like the hissing or screeching Ashley had heard before, this was something new. She stared at it puzzled. It made the noise again. It was trying to communicate, she realized. It was intelligent.

Her mothers training kicked in. Ashley stood up and stepped back.

"What?" she asked the lizard. It made the noise again. All thoughts of violence vanished into the air, disintegrating like the remnants of a teleport. She was curious now. Wouldn't life be so much simpler if she could have communicated with spurlocks earlier?

"I don't know what you're saying but I know someone who can help. She's good at this sort of thing." The spurlock made another strange noise. "Um, water? You want water?" she moved to get some. The lizard flinched instinctively. Guilt washed over Ashley, and regret, that this creature thought she would kill it so carelessly, so easily.

"It's ok, I wont hurt you," she said, leaving as gently as possible, trying not to scare it further. "I'll get some water."

* * *

Magnus turned to Druitt as they stood contemplating what they had just witnessed. The tension in the study seemed to have relaxed a shade or two.

"John, what on earth is going on?"

His fluctuating mood had momentarily settled and he said with clear mind what was in his heart. He knew what he had to do now. He had to get her to understand what Ashley could not bring herself to tell her mother, what she had to know before Druitt could leave.

"It appears pre-meditated murder is not Ashley Magnus' style. She may be like me in some ways but she wants to be like you, as she has just proven. She talked to me in the future and asked that it stay in the future, not suspecting this thing is not so easy to escape. I can understand some of the things she's going through. That's the only reason she..." he didn't want to say the rest.

"You saved her life, she trusts you," she reassured him.

"She shouldn't," he realised, frowning. "And neither should you and you know it. I've already broken both promises I made to her."

"How did she get _you _to promise anything?" Magnus asked, intrigued.

"I'm not certain," he sounded slightly disconcerted. "I think I was coerced."

Magnus smirked, Ashley had him wrapped around her little finger and they both knew it.

"I brought her back from the future to you, but I cannot leave her yet, because she is still not safe. I need you to understand this, Helen. She adores you, she would do anything you ask of her." He was unsure how he had come to be counsellor to both Magnus women.

"She is your daughter through and through. Her heart belongs to you," he assured her. He realised something fundamental, something he had always known, because it was also true of himself. "She _needs _to be with you."

"You can't leave when she needs you most," said Magnus fiercely, understanding at last what he was trying to say in such a roundabout way. "You can't just jump in and out of her life." Or mine, the thought hit her out of nowhere.

"I can do no more for her. I cannot help her win this war. I will fight an army, tear apart space and time to find her but I cannot fight this battle for her. She _will _win," he said with certainty. "She has you. She is more like you than she realises."

"She is the most important thing in the world," Magnus implored him to understand this.

"I know. That is precisely why I must go. I can be nothing but a poor example, an example of what not to be. I must leave, before this thing once again gets beyond my control. I can feel it returning," his eyes had a haunted look to them. "With each breaking dawn the darkness rises. You must do this Helen, you must get this right."

"She loves you."

A sad, wise and painful laugh escaped from him. "Ah, Helen," he took a deep breath. "I lost my heart a long time ago and I know it is kept safe, but Ashley, she has saved my soul. I have felt hope for the first time in a very long time. I will fight and I will not rest until I have conquered this demon, it shall not defeat me. I refuse to lose her too."

The atmosphere was laden as Magnus' silence spoke as loud as Druitt's words, there was no doubt they could both hear it.

"There's something I've been wondering about, maybe you can explain it," said Druitt, deliberately and almost chivalrously, alleviating the tension. Now was not the time for that discussion, it would come one day but this was not it, Ashley came first.

"Ashley's thought process, it's inexplicable. One minute we're getting along fine and then the next..." he shook his head. "She's a mystery. I can never tell what she's thinking. How exactly does that work?"

Magnus smiled, "If I ever figure it out John, you'll be the first to know."

Druitt returned the smile and turned to leave, pausing in the doorway as she said.

"If you leave without saying goodbye to her, I will never forgive you."

He nodded his head almost imperceptibly, and left.

* * *

Later that evening Ashley found her way to her mothers study. Magnus was sitting behind her desk, her chair facing the window as she stared out into the sky, the thoughts of 158 years weighing particularly heavy on her shoulders that evening.

"Are you busy?" asked Ashley, looking nervous.

Magnus turned around and smiled at her brave daughter.

"It doesn't matter what I'm doing, I always have time for you. I'm sorry if that hasn't always appeared to be the case."

"I think I need to talk to you," she said quietly.

Magnus got up and walked over to the couch, beckoning Ashley over, they sat down together, Magnus entwining her fingers in Ashley's as an offer of solidarity.

"I saw what happened in 'the boot'."

"Yeah, I forgot about the cameras."

"It's ok, you know. From what I've heard, you have only used your power when it was absolutely necessary, to save yourself, to save me."

"Someone's got a big mouth."

"He was just worried about you."

"Huh." She plucked up her courage and went for it. "I don't really know how to teleport. It just happens, when I get... scared, or angry, mostly scared. And I'm kind of worried about the angry part." For the first time in what had almost become too long, they began to talk.

Staring at her mothers hand wrapped around hers, Ashley explained what happened in 'the boot' and worked backwards from there, leaving no detail out, no horror unexposed. Eventually her eyes rose to meet her mothers as she allowed her hopes and fears to be slowly teased out into the open. Late into the night, all other lights in the Sanctuary were extinguished one by one except the one steadily illuminating the study. When Ashley eventually reached the end of her tale, Magnus began hers and together they realised the old adage: The truth shall set you free.

Alone on the roof Druitt stood staring up at the stars, watching over the lone light in the Sanctuary and waiting for the dawn.

* * *

At sunrise Druitt entered the study, as ready as he could be for the inevitable, which had taken him all night to prepare himself for. Magnus was searching through her desk for something and Ashley peered at him from over the back of the sofa. The atmosphere in the study was fresh and light, like after a sudden summer rain shower had cleansed the air. Ashley smiled at him. This might be harder than he thought.

"I am leaving," he said, talking to Ashley but not managing to look her in the eye.

She looked surprised. "When will you be back?"

He hesitated before admitting, "I'm not coming back."

"What do you mean?" she asked, warily.

Magnus tried not to watch what she knew was about to unfold in front of her.

"I shall not be returning."

"What are you talking about? Why not?"

"I am a danger to you, to all of you. I will always be a danger."

"So? That sounds normal for us, it puts the fun in dysfunctional."

She realised he was serious and the humour turned to anger.

"What about the treatment? You broke your promise, you teleported, you have to accept treatment. We're going to try my blood it should work better if it's balanced," she battered him with a relentless torrent of words.

"No. I will not agree to it."

"What are you talking about?" she was unable to comprehend what he was saying.

"I cannot… I will not take your blood."

"Why?" Ashley demanded furiously, standing directly before him and looking him straight in the eye.

"Please. Allow me this. While I am momentarily in my right mind," he begged her. She glowered at him.

He turned to Magnus with a wry smile. "You were right, as usual." Ashley had become the most important thing in the world.

"Mom tell him," she demanded, outraged. "The treatment will work. It helped the last time."

Magnus said nothing.

"Tell me why you won't take it," her eyes flashed dangerously revealing the temper underneath, as she realised her mother was not going to intervene and more than likely knew exactly what was going on, as usual.

"Ashley."

They locked their gaze on each other with identical stares, forceful and intimidating.

"Tell me."

"I do not deserve it," he simply stated.

She stared at him, not believing what she was hearing. The tone of her voice rang a warning, much like his did when he was getting angry.

"It's not up to you! You blew your chance, now it's my turn, it's my choice, I get to decide."

He shook his head slowly, "There is _always _a choice."

He was right, they all knew it. There was always a choice and Ashley had made hers that very night.

He gave her a small smile as he said, "You know, I think you're going to be all right."

Her voice was choked with tears, "I don't want you to go."

His heart broke. He never imagined she could care about him after everything he had done. He could only muster one word.

"Thankyou."

He couldn't bring himself to look at Helen as he turned and walked away from them.

The end...

...for now

* * *

_Thank you to everyone who took the time to review. This whole story is dedicated to each and every one of you. You, who not only took the time to read it but also time to give me the thumbs up on my first fic. You guys rock. __Shout out to: Shykeiro, Melissaadams22, forensicirulan, Serenity's Pain, rommie-rules, sb158, Ellie 5192, Chocolate and Drama, cj1013, Jen Rock, squirtbug158, Fell4, Terra Young, DemonxVampirexBitch_

_New fic coming soon =)_


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